A Swiss man who admitted to sexually harassing a hotel cleaner in St Julian’s will have his case heard again after the Court of Criminal Appeal ruled that he was not given enough time to reconsider his guilty plea.

The 59-year-old, who was handed a two-year suspended sentence by the Court of Magistrates earlier this year, successfully appealed the judgment, arguing that the court had not followed proper procedure.

During the initial proceedings, the court banned publication of the man’s name on the basis that he is a politically exposed person (PEP), with the incident potentially damaging his career.

According to police testimony, the case dates back to an incident at the Corinthia St George’s Bay Hotel, where a cleaner said the man had asked her for coffee and water before later following her into his room naked. She alleged he then grabbed her and kissed her neck and face before she managed to escape and report him to hotel management.

The man was arraigned on 4 August and immediately pleaded guilty. However, his lawyers later argued that the magistrate failed to give him the mandatory time to reconsider his plea, as required under the Criminal Code.

The Court of Criminal Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice Neville Camilleri, agreed, noting that while the court of first instance had explained the legal consequences of a guilty plea, the records did not show that the accused was given time to reconsider his decision.

As a result, the appeal court annulled the previous sentence and sent the case back to the Court of Magistrates to be heard afresh. The man will now stand trial again, but will not be treated as being under arrest.

Lawyer Joe Giglio appeared for the defence.