A court in Sweden has ruled that it is acceptable to masturbate in public as long as it is not directed at anyone.
The ruling came in a landmark judgement following a case brought against a man seen touching himself on a beach.
The 65-year-old man, who dropped his shorts close to the water at Drevviken beach, Stockholm, and started to masturbate, was initially charged with sexual assault.
But in a surprise ruling, the Södertörn District Court acquitted the man. While the judgement stated it ‘may be proven that the man exposed himself and masturbated on this occasion’, it subsequently added that no offence had been committed.
No word on whether that also counts if you’re high on crack and near a middle school when you whip it out. Or if it’s also okay to eat a gyro while riding a vibrator on the New York subway.