Cyprus high court quashes UK woman's 'fake rape' conviction

Cyprus's highest court on Monday quashed the conviction of a British woman found guilty by a lower court of faking a claim that she was gang-raped on the island in 2019, lawyers said.

The woman appealed in September against the January 2020 verdict of a district court which gave her a suspended four-month prison sentence. The case sparked concern from Britain and activists about her treatment by Cypriot authorities.

"We are particularly happy because now, and also by court verdict, she has been acquitted," lawyer Nicoletta Charalambidou told journalists.

Michael Polak, director of Justice Abroad, a UK-based advocacy group which is assisting the woman's local and British defence teams, also welcomed the verdict. "We have always maintained that our client was not given a fair trial and today the Supreme Court of Cyprus has agreed with us," he said.

The woman, then aged 19, complained in July 2019 that she had been raped by a group of Israeli youths in the resort of Ayia Napa. Days later the complaint was withdrawn, leading to her arrest and subsequent conviction for public mischief.

The woman, who spent several weeks in custody, said she withdrew her complaint under duress after hours of police questioning and without a lawyer present, being offered one, or waiving her right to a lawyer.

The British government said after her conviction it had "numerous concerns" about the judicial process.

Twelve Israeli youths were detained for questioning but swiftly released after the woman withdrew her accusation.

They were not required to give any evidence at the woman's trial because the case focused on whether she had misled authorities and given a false statement, rather than the alleged rape itself.

"Important fair trial provisions, which are in place to prevent miscarriages of justice, were totally disregarded in this case and a young and vulnerable woman was not only mistreated when she reported the rape to the police but then she was just put through a trial process that was manifestly unfair as the Supreme Court has recognised," Polak said.

A statement attributed to the woman's family by Justice Abroad said they were relieved authorities had recognised the flaws in the legal process.

"Whilst this decision doesn't excuse the way she was treated by the police or the judge or those in authority, it does bring with it the hope that my daughters' suffering will at least bring positive changes in the way that victims of crime are treated," the statement said.

(Reuters)