Rape accuser lawyers up in Ayia Napa case

The arraignment of the rape accuser in the Ayia Napa gang rape case was pushed back one day in order for the British woman, who faces charges of public mischief, to have her lawyer present in the courtroom.

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Following her arrest on Sunday, the 19-year-old alleged rape victim in the Ayia Napa gang rape case was taken to Famagusta District Court in Paralimni on Monday, where she was expected to be formally charged for making false statements to police.

A video online showed the British girl arriving at the courthouse with her face covered and surrounded by reporters and photographers.

The woman, who said ten days ago she was raped and sexually assaulted by Israeli teens, reportedly admitted to investigators that she had consensual sex with three Israeli teens in a hotel room on July 17. But during the course of the investigation, police went on to question the veracity of her statements over allegations of gang rape after they said forensic evidence did not warrant the detention of the suspects nor was it likely that there had even been a rape.

The twelve former suspects, all Israeli nationals in their mid to late teens, have been released from custody after vehemently denying rape allegations, with some of them denying even being in the same room with the girl. Reports also said some of the teens may prepare to file defamation lawsuits against their accuser.

It was reported that the alleged victim had told police that after starting to be intimate with one of the three main suspects, others barged in and held her down, laughing, while she was being raped and sexually assaulted. Another report that appeared previously in Israeli media said she had asked for the door to be closed in order to block onlookers, while the report could not be independently confirmed.

Cypriot police are basing their accusations on the fact that the British woman admitted to having consensual sex with three suspects and that there had been no signs of rape. However, the alleged victim says she was angry and felt violated during the incident over the hazing behaviour of teens who were recording her sexual acts on video without her consent.

The court hearing is set to resume Tuesday morning at 10am in the presence of the woman’s lawyer, Andreas Pittadjis, who was said to be returning from an overseas trip.

The lead prosecutor in the case requested that the 19-year-old woman remain in custody for another day. While detentions typically cannot exceed 24 hours without charges, the prosecution cited the seriousness in the case, with the court approving the detention for another day.