diff --git a/org.eclipse.jdt.ui/ui/org/eclipse/jdt/ui/text/folding/DefaultJavaFoldingStructureProvider.java b/org.eclipse.jdt.ui/ui/org/eclipse/jdt/ui/text/folding/DefaultJavaFoldingStructureProvider.java
index deda79970ac..c907bf2ab6f 100755
--- a/org.eclipse.jdt.ui/ui/org/eclipse/jdt/ui/text/folding/DefaultJavaFoldingStructureProvider.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jdt.ui/ui/org/eclipse/jdt/ui/text/folding/DefaultJavaFoldingStructureProvider.java
@@ -930,7 +930,7 @@ private void update(FoldingStructureComputationContext ctx) {
 			 * position update and keep the old range, in order to keep the folding structure
 			 * stable.
 			 */
-			boolean isMalformedAnonymousType= newPosition.getOffset() == 0 && element.getElementType() == IJavaElement.TYPE && isInnerType((IType) element);
+			boolean isMalformedAnonymousType= newPosition.getOffset() == 0 && element != null && element.getElementType() == IJavaElement.TYPE && isInnerType((IType) element);
 			List<Tuple> annotations= oldStructure.get(element);
 			if (annotations == null) {
 				if (!isMalformedAnonymousType)