Calum Best (left) going to court in Palma, Mallorca

Calum Best (left) denied the charge. | Alejandro Sepúlveda

Andrew EdePalma17/01/2024 17:34
TW
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Calum Best, the television personality son of footballer George Best, has been acquitted of sexual assault by the Provincial Court in Palma.

At Wayne Lineker's Ibiza beach club on April 22, 2022, he was alleged to have placed a woman's hand on his private parts and told her to "feel this". Mr. Best, 42, denied the charge.

The court considered it not proven that he had forced the woman to touch his genitals. It pointed out that it is not the accused who must prove his innocence but that the burden of proof falls on the accusing party. Although the complainant's statement "meets some of the aforementioned legal parameters, it is not means to destroy the presumption of innocence that protects the accused".

The decision of the Provincial Court is open to appeal to the Balearic High Court. The Prosecutor's Office had been seeking a sentence of three years plus 1,000 euros compensation.