British teen who recanted Cyprus rape claim against Israelis freed on bail

The 19-year-old British woman facing criminal charges in Cyprus for allegedly falsely accusing 12 Israelis of raping her is released on bail, according to local news reports.

The InCyprus news site reports the woman was freed from Nicosia Prison earlier today after her father posted the €5000 ($5,536) bail set by the Famagusta district court on Tuesday. Her release is conditioned on her staying in Cyprus for her October 2 trial for making a false rape claim against 12 Israeli teenagers at an Ayia Napa resort last month.

The woman is also required to report to the Nicosia police station three times a week, and must surrender her passport to Cypriot authorities.

The 19-year-old tourist has pleaded not guilty to a “public mischief” charge, which comes with a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of around 1,700 euros for allegedly making the false claim.

She originally told police that 12 Israelis had raped on her on July 17 at a hotel in the resort of Ayia Napa. Cypriot police immediately arrested the Israelis aged 15-18, holding some of them for nearly two weeks until the woman recanted her claim during questioning, saying there had been consensual sexual contact with some of the suspects. The woman reportedly told investigators she filed the rape report because she felt “angry and insulted” when some of the Israelis recorded video of her having consensual sex with a number of them.

She later changed her story, claiming that law enforcement officers pressured her into admitting she had fabricated her initial report by denying her access to an attorney and threatening to arrest her friends.