A Maltese man living in Wales who opened his front door naked to a cold caller has been cleared of trying to sexually assault her, Wales online reports.

A jury at Cardiff Crown Court took just an hour to unanimously find Maltese-born Mario Sciberras, 57, not guilty of the charge.

He had told the court how he was about to have a shower when the young woman knocked on the door. He answered it, peeping around from behind, to hide the fact he wasn’t wearing any clothes.

“She started telling me I need not pay for Broadband and I was saying I didn’t pay,” he said.

“But she kept on talking and all of a sudden, walked past me, barging her way into my house.”

The portal reported the woman told the court she was one of a team of canvassers working the Brackla area that day on behalf of Talk Talk.

She claimed she was invited in, while he was behind the door but turned, once inside and saw that he was naked.

She alleged that as she hurriedly went to walk back out, he started to close the door and put out one hand to within 40cms of her shoulder.

She was then seen outside upset and distressed and police were called.

Mr Sciberras said within a short time he found himself being handcuffed and taken to a police station for the first time in his life.

“I had to turn off my chicken before I left,” he said.

Giving evidence from the witness box, he said: “I was really embarrassed – I never expected her to come in.

“As soon as she saw me with no clothes on she started saying she had to leave and still holding the door with one hand I gestured with the other for her to go.”

Character references from people who have known him since he arrived in Wales from Malta 10 years ago to work as a driver described him as honest, dependable with good moral standards and a “nice person to know”.