diff --git a/pmd/etc/changelog.txt b/pmd/etc/changelog.txt
index cbfe7008cc..f8a9fe0eb7 100644
--- a/pmd/etc/changelog.txt
+++ b/pmd/etc/changelog.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 ???? ??, 2012 - 5.0.2:
 
 Fixed bug 1044: Unknown option: -excludemarker
+Fixed bug 1048: CommentContent Rule, String Index out of range Exception
 
 November 28, 2012 - 5.0.1:
 
diff --git a/pmd/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/comments/AbstractCommentRule.java b/pmd/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/comments/AbstractCommentRule.java
index eac18d15cf..795fcdd045 100644
--- a/pmd/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/comments/AbstractCommentRule.java
+++ b/pmd/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/comments/AbstractCommentRule.java
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+/**
+ * BSD-style license; for more info see http://pmd.sourceforge.net/license.html
+ */
 package net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.comments;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
@@ -95,7 +98,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractCommentRule extends AbstractJavaRule {
 				continue;
 			}
 			
-			if (line.charAt(0) == '*') {
+			if (line.length() > 0 && line.charAt(0) == '*') {
 				filteredLines.add(line.substring(1));
 				continue;
 			}
@@ -122,7 +125,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractCommentRule extends AbstractJavaRule {
 				continue;
 			}
 			
-			if (line.charAt(0) == '*') {
+			if (line.length() > 0 && line.charAt(0) == '*') {
 				filteredLines.add(line.substring(1));
 				continue;
 			}
diff --git a/pmd/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/comments/AbstractCommentRuleTest.java b/pmd/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/comments/AbstractCommentRuleTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2e53c62a22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pmd/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/comments/AbstractCommentRuleTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/**
+ * BSD-style license; for more info see http://pmd.sourceforge.net/license.html
+ */
+package net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.comments;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.FormalComment;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.MultiLineComment;
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.ast.Token;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class AbstractCommentRuleTest {
+
+	private AbstractCommentRule testSubject = new AbstractCommentRule() {};
+
+	/**
+	 * Blank lines in comments should not raise an exception.
+	 * See bug #1048.
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void testFilteredCommentIn() {
+		Token token = new Token();
+		token.image = "/* multi line comment with blank lines\n\n\n */";
+
+		String filtered = testSubject.filteredCommentIn(new MultiLineComment(token));
+		assertEquals("multi line comment with blank lines", filtered);
+
+		token.image = "/** a formal comment with blank lines\n\n\n */";
+		filtered = testSubject.filteredCommentIn(new FormalComment(token));
+		assertEquals("a formal comment with blank lines", filtered);
+	}
+
+}