Getty Images / Hemis.fr RM / Stockholm, Sweden

A 65-year-old Swedish man was acquitted of sexual assault after pleasuring himself on a beach in Stockholm in June.

The district court of Södertörn tossed out the charge on the grounds that he didn’t look at anybody while fondling himself. The court ruled he had committed no offense, as he did not direct his “activities” at any particular target.

Public prosecutor Olof Vrethammar told the Mitti newspaper that he had no plans to appeal and called the ruling “reasonable.” When asked if the act is now acceptable in public, Vrethammar said public fondling was “okay” — as long as it’s not directed towards a specific individual — but may still be considered “disorderly conduct.”

Regardless, the ruling may serve as a precedent in Sweden, where some uncomfortable public exchanges may be imminent. Our advice? Wait til you get home, folks.

[The Independent]