Pathologist says injuries sustained by British teenager in Aiya Napa are consistent with rape

The bruises on the body of a British teenager convicted in Cyprus of lying about being gang-raped are consistent with those inflicted by a violent assault, according to an expert pathologist who spoke to The Mail on Sunday. 

The 19-year old woman was found guilty of "public mischief", after claiming she was gang raped by a group of 12 Israeli tourists in a hotel room, while on holiday in the town of Aiya Napa.

Pathologist Dr Mario Matsakis, who saw pictures of her body presented to the court, has produced a diagram which show 35 bruises on her legs, arms and buttocks - as well as marks on her eyes and knees.

The pictures of the injuries, according to the expert witness for the women's defence, leave 'no doubt' she was gang raped.

The evidence was dismissed by the judge, as he ruled the the bruises were inflicted by a 'jellyfish' when she had gone for a swim.

State pathologist Sophocles Sophocleus' account submitted to the court concluded that bruises on the teen's thighs and leg were consistent with bumping into furniture, the Metro reported.

Sopohocleous maintained that no marks on the teen's body were consistent with sexual assault. 

The invesitgation was fraught with a litany of errors, compounded by the half-page report submitted by Sopohcleous, according Dr Matsakis.

"The girl had a lot of bruises which are shown in the photos which were taken by the police at the time of the examination. And he didn't photograph the front and the back of the body, the torso"

Speaking to the Mirror, Dr Matsakis believes the line of inquiry was not properly investigated and did not rule out the possibility that "she had been drugged".

"It is another aspect which was not fully explored" 

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On Tuesday, the British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News that he had conveyed his concerns about the woman's treatment and the case to his Cypriot counterpart, yet added that he was careful not want to "aggravate" authorities on the Island. 

The UK had previously said it was "seriously concerned about the fair trial guarantees" in the "deeply distressing case".

The student currently faces up to a year in prison for lying when she is sentenced on Tuesday, which her psychologist has warned could make her a suicide risk. 

On Tuesday the victim's mother, who remains anonymous to protect her daughter's identity, described the "devastating" first phone call from her daughter.

Speaking softly, her child told her, "Mum, I've been gang-raped".

While taking her daily commute, her mother said she felt her 'golden little' girl's life lying ripped before her. 

The 19-year-old said she had agreed to consensual sex with one of the men after a romantic relationship.

He then became agressive with her and let 11 other Israeli tourist into the hotel room, where they gang-raped her, according to her testimony. 

While she retracted the claims ten days later, she insists she only did so under extreme duress by Cypriot police, who interviewed her for eight hours without a lawyer or family member present.

The Israeli men, most in their teens, were soon released.

Upon arrival to their home country they were met with a heroes' welcome, drinking champagne and chanting "the Brit is a wh*re".

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