In court, the fire-fighter said that after a previous falling-out and subsequent apologies, the accused "started shaking hands with me in an indecent way". In his defence, the official said the accusations were being made out of malice because the fire-fighter had been transferred due to poor performance. "His colleagues washed his brain and let him lodge this untrue complaint," he said in remarks published by the National news website . The case has been adjourned to 10 December.