Derbyshire woman accused of lying about Cyprus gang-rape has conviction quashed
The then 19-year-old told Cypriot police she had been attacked by up to 12 Israeli men and boys in a hotel room in Ayia Napa in July 2019.
She was later handed a suspended four-month jail term for fomenting public mischief after signing a retraction statement – something which her defence team argued was extracted under duress after she was held without a lawyer or translator during eight hours of police questioning.
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Hide AdOn Monday, a tribunal at the supreme court in the capital Nicosia threw out the case, acknowledging the now 21-year-old student had not been given a fair trial.
Speaking of the verdict Nicoletta Charalambidou, the woman’s Cypriot lawyer, said: “This is a very important day for women’s rights and in particular for victims of rape or other forms of sexual violence in Cyprus.
“The acquittal by the supreme court of the young teenager points to the failure of the authorities to effectively investigate the rape claims she reported. This is what we will now pursue.”
The woman, who has never been publicly identified, and her family did not attend the hearing but welcomed the outcome in a statement.
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Hide Ad“It is a great relief we hear that the authorities in Cyprus have recognised the flaws in their legal process,” the statement issued by her mother said.
“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 daughter’s suffering will at least bring positive changes in the way victims of crime are treated.”
Michael Polak of the legal aid group Justice Abroad, who had coordinated the appeal against the conviction, added: “This is a watershed moment, not just for our client who has always maintained her innocence even when doing so caused her the hardship of not being able to return home during the lengthy trial proceedings, but also for others round the world in similar positions.”