Outcry as Cyprus court finds British teenager 'guilty' of falsely claiming Israelis raped her

The defendant, who pleaded not guilty, alleged that 12 Israelis raped her on July 17 in a hotel room in Ayia Napa. 

But the Israelis, aged 15 to 18, were released without charge the same month after the woman was arrested on suspicion of "making a false statement about an imaginary crime".

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"The statements you have given were false," the judge told the woman at the Famagusta District Court in Paralimni in southeast Cyprus, in remarks translated by an interpreter.

She appeared frustrated by the delay to the sentencing, telling her lawyer: "He already made his decision! I thought we were asking for a fine."

‘Humiliation and mistreatment’

The defence said it would lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court.

"We believe there have been many violations in the procedure and the rights of fair trial have been violated," the woman's lawyer, Nicoletta Charalambidou, said.

Rights groups argued the teenager has suffered humiliation and been mistreated by the police and media.

Israeli media criticised the men who the teenager accused of rape, saying that they had filmed the teenager having sex without her consent, which is a crime in Israel.

The teenager says she had agreed to consensual sex with one of the men after a romantic relationship. He then became aggressive with her and let the other men into the hotel room, where they gang-raped her, according to her testimony.

On their return to Israel after being freed from Cypriot custody, the men chanted “Am Yisrael Chai!” (The People of Israel Live!) and “The Brit is a whore!” at Ben-Gurion Airport,  The Times of Israel reported.

The rights groups have called for an investigation into police handling of the case and criticised the way rape cases and victims are treated in Cyprus.

More than a dozen women from an association for the protection of women attended court wearing white scarves with an image of lips sewn shut printed on them.

As the defendant was led from the court with her face blindfolded to shield her identity, some 20 protesters chanted: "We are with you" and "We believe you".

"The way the case of this young lady was handled by the police and Cyprus government was wrong," said one of the demonstrators, Maria Mappouridou.

Another protester, Helena Gonata, said "everyone will find a reason not to believe her. That's the case with rape - no one will believe you."

"We're trying to encourage women to talk. Many women are afraid to come forward."

Claims of police pressure

The woman's lawyers had claimed the 19year-old was forced to sign a retraction written by a detective working the case.

But the judge said during the trial that police had acted properly at all times, with no pressure exerted to change the woman's mind about her initial rape claim.

The defendant had said police were "hostile and negative" and asked her to sign a statement she had not seen.

British legal aid group Justice Abroad, which is supporting the woman, said the defence would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.

"Despite the setback today, the teenager who has spent over a month in prison and six months where she has been unable to leave Cyprus is determined for justice to be done in her case, as well as to help change the culture towards victims of sexual offences in Cyprus," Justice Abroad's Michael Polak said in a statement.

“The teenager gave a clear, compelling, and consistent account of being subject to a group rape. She responded to all questions put to her in cross-examination fully without trying to avoid giving answers.

"It was clear that the teenager’s account withstood the Prosecution’s questioning”, Polak added, pointing out that the Israeli men who were accused of rape were not called as witnesses by the prosecution.

Agencies contributed to this report.