Cyprus police looking into conspiracy charges in suspected gang-rape

Local police in Cyprus say the group of Israeli teens suspected of gang-raping a British tourist are also now suspected of conspiring ahead of time to commit the alleged rape.

The addition of conspiracy to the investigation could mean charges against some of the young men who were not believed to have engaged in sex with the woman but who witnessed the events or were present in the room at the time.

The British woman, 19, filed a police complaint last Thursday against 12 Israelis, ranging in age from 15 to 18, who were staying at the Pambos Napa Rocks Hotel in the resort town of Ayia Napa, on the island nation’s southeastern coast. The woman accused the Israeli suspects of taking turns raping her over the course of an hour in a hotel room, while two members of the group held her down.

The latest announcement about possible conspiracy charges suggests police are looking to broaden the net from the handful of suspects that DNA evidence proves had engaged in relations with the woman to those who may not have had sex in the hotel room, but allegedly helped organize the gathering.