Rape accuser jailed until court date

A Famagusta district judge ordered a 19-year-old British female to stand trial in connection with gang rape allegations she had made against Israeli teens with her case ultimately falling apart.

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Defence attorney Andreas Pittadjis, who represents the rape accuser, told the court he needed time to consult with his client and go over evidence, while he pointed out statements from some individuals had not been shared with the defence.

The prosecution team requested that the defendant remain in custody until her next court appearance, citing flight risk. Without objection from the defence, Judge Tonia Antoniou ordered the girl behind bars in Nicosia Central Prisons until her arraignment set for August 7.

The woman, who reportedly told police in her initial complaint that she was gang raped by Israeli teens, later clarified in supplemental statements that she had consensual sex with three Israeli teens in Ayia Napa but felt violated when others started recording video of the activities.

Charges include public mischief after the girl was accused of making false statements to police officers. The maximum sentence in her case, if convicted, would be up €1000 and one year in prison. 

A total of twelve Israeli teens were arrested as rape suspects, all of whom have been released and all charges were dropped. Police based their decisions on gaps within the girl’s statements, which reportedly included details that were either not accurate or not factual.

The lawyer of three of the suspects went on radio on Monday, saying that police had arrested all twelve Israeli teens after one of them pointed out all the others with whom he had spent time the previous night. Some of the suspects denied even being in the room during the alleged incident, while all teens denied rape allegations.