In Sweden, it’s now ‘OK’ to masturbate in public

Some are saying it's just another reason to like Sweden.

A court in Sweden ruled that a 65-year-old man who masturbated openly at a Stockholm beach did so legally because he was not “pleasuring himself towards a specific person.”

On June 6, the man was charged with sexual assault after he took off his pants and started masturbating by the water.

The ruling from a Södertörn district court acquitted the man because his activities were not directed toward anyone in particular.

“For this to be a criminal offence it's required that the sexual molestation was directed towards one or more people. I think the court's judgement is reasonable,” public prosecutor Olof Vrethammar said.

When asked if it was now acceptable to masturbate in public, Vrethammar said it was “okay.”

“The district court has made a judgement on this case. With that we can conclude that it is okay to masturbate on the beach,” he explained but added, it may still be regarded as “disorderly conduct.”

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In another recent court decision, a 15-year-old boy was also acquitted after throwing his underwear in a lake in front of two girls who were minors, according to the Swedish English-language news website The Local. He was also originally charged with sexual assault.