British teen pleads not guilty to filing false rape report against Israelis

PARALIMNI, Cyprus — A British teenager accused of falsely claiming she was gang raped by 12 Israeli tourists in Cyprus pleads not guilty to causing public mischief.

The court adjourns the trial until October 2 and the 19-year-old is released on 20,000-euro bail on condition she surrenders her passport and presents herself to police three times a week.

Her Cypriot lawyer Nicoletta Charalambidou informs the court that she will request that the Cypriot attorney general suspends criminal proceedings against her client on the grounds that her rape claim retraction was coerced.

The teenager was also represented at the Famagusta District Court in Paralimni in southeast Cyprus by British lawyer Lewis Power QC with Michael Polak from British legal aid group Justice Abroad supporting the legal team.

If convicted the woman, who has not been named, could face up to one year in prison and a fine of around 1,700 euros.

Initially, the teenager had alleged that 12 Israelis raped her on July 17 at a hotel in the resort of Ayia Napa, a magnet for younger tourists attracted by its beaches and nightlife.

The Israelis aged 15 to 18 were released last month after the woman was arrested on suspicion of “making a false statement about an imaginary crime,” according to Cypriot police.

— AFP