Woman pleads not-guilty ‘false rape claims’ in Cyprus

A British woman has pleaded not guilty in a Cypriot court to lying about being raped in the tourist town of Ayia Napa.

On July, 12 Israeli tourists were arrested after the 19-year-old said they gang-raped her. She then retracted her allegation, the men were released and returned home, and she was arrested for allegedly making up the claims.

The woman faces up to a year in jail, and a fine, if found guilty of a charge of causing public mischief.

Justice Abroad, which is providing legal assistance to the woman, said Cypriot police had pressured her to retract the claim. The woman was released on conditional bail until her next court appearance on 2 October, Justice Abroad said.

Her defence lawyers have said investigators used “oppression” to make her retract the rape allegation.

Her alleged assailants, who are aged 15 to 18 and were on holiday in Cyprus, were detained and later released without charge. They denied any allegation of assault and have since returned to Israel.