The defense team of a British woman who claimed to have been raped by as many as a dozen Israelis during a vacation in Cyprus in 2019 said on Monday they will seek to subpoena the suspects — who were cleared of all charges — after the island nation's top court overturned her perjury conviction.
The woman, then aged 19, filed a complaint in July 2019, claiming she had been raped by a group of Israeli youths — all aged between 16 and 18 at the time — in the resort town of Ayia Napa. She later withdrew her accusation in January 2020, which led to her conviction for public mischief and a suspended four-month prison sentence.
“It was a tough battle, but she came out victorious,” said Nicoletta Charalambidou, one of the lawyers representing the 21-year-old Briton, who maintained she recanted her initial accusation under duress from police during persistent questioning without a lawyer present.
“It will allow her to continue with her life under better circumstances, after she was found not guilty by the court.”
According to Charalambidou, the court’s decision to overturn the woman’s conviction and recognize she was not given a fair trial is only the first step in the ongoing effort to see justice done.
"[The court’s] decision leads us to the next stage, which is a full investigation of the rape allegation, which was distorted and disturbed due to duress,” said the lawyer, who added that she and her team will demand the reopening of the investigation against the Israeli suspects.
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Israeli teens accused of raping UK woman in Cyprus welcomed by cheering crowd upon their arrival in Israel
(Photo: Yair Sagi)
“This is what we plan to do. We expect authorities to do this of their own volition because under the law they have an obligation to investigate any allegation of rape.”
“We expect the authorities to continue the full investigation, and if this is not done, we will see how we intend to proceed,” added Charalambidou.
Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, the British government had said it had raised “numerous concerns” with Cypriot authorities about the judicial process in the case and the woman’s right to a fair trial.