A Swedish court has ruled that masturbation in public is acceptable as long as it is not directed at any particular person.

This comes with the acquittal of a 65-year-old man who was charged with sexual assault for masturbating on a beach. The shocking acquittal was granted by the Södertörn District Court.

The public prosecutor, Olof Vrethammar, said he agreed with the ruling:

For this to be a criminal offense it’s required that the sexual molestation was directed towards one or more people. I think the court’s judgement is reasonable.

The ruling has obviously raised concerns about what this will hold for the country in the future. Will people take advantage of this new freedom to masturbate in public?

Dr. Liz Davies is a Reader in Child Protection at London Metropolitan University, she raised her concerns saying:

[…] This judgement is surprising given that such an act could be witnessed by children as well as adults.

Do you think people will take advantage?

[Source: The Daily Mail]