A Libyan man who stands accused of raping a Hungarian woman last February was hauled back to a courtroom this afternoon for having breached his bail conditions to attend a Halloween party.

26-year-old Ezzedin Salem Elaoud, of Tripoli, sobbed quietly as he waited for his turn on the dock.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, who put off the case for sentencing on 30 November, told Mr Elouad that there was no use crying now.

Police inspectors John Spiteri and Matthew Spagnol prosecuted. Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi appeared for Mr Elouad.

Mr Elouad was charged with raping and slightly injuring a 27-year-old Hungarian woman in Triq il-Wilga in Paceville on 6 February 2016. He denies the charges.

Mr Elouad, an asylum seeker, had been arrested after police were alerted about the woman, who was sitting on the steps of an apartment block. She had allegedly identified the accused as her aggressor. The court had heard that the woman smelled of alcohol when she was found.

At another sitting, the court had heard how the woman had suffered various bruises but no lesions were found in her private parts. But the absence of marks might have been due to a lack of resistance, as the woman was heavily inebriated.

However, the woman had told the police that she had only drunk half a bottle of sparkling wine. She said she was dancing in a club but suddenly found herself in an apartment, where she was slapped by two men, one of them named James, and subsequently raped. After the alleged ordeal she had managed to escape. The woman also told investigators that she suffered from bipolar disorder.

A forensic pathologist had told the court that she had actually consumed considerably more than half a bottle of wine. As for the injuries, he said that the woman was found with bruises near her eye, in her shoulder and elbow, as well as a love bite on her neck. However, no lesions were found in her private parts even though medical tests confirmed that intercourse had taken place. The accused also had scratches on his body, as well as a bruised lip and a love bite on his shoulder.

The court expert had testified that the lack of marks on her private parts could mean that there was either no forced penetration or full cooperation.