A British teenager accused of lying about being gang-raped by 12 Israelis while on holiday in Cyprus has had the conviction overturned by the Mediterranean island’s supreme court.
Two years after the woman received a suspended four-month sentence on the allegation of fomenting public mischief, the tribunal threw out the case, acknowledging she had not been given a fair trial.
Michael Polak of the legal aid group Justice Abroad, who had coordinated the appeal against the conviction, described the latest ruling as "a watershed moment.”
He said: "Not just for our client who has always maintained her innocence even when doing so caused her the hardship of not being able to return home during the lengthy trial proceedings, but also for others round the world in similar positions.”
The woman, who is now 21, accused twelve Israelis of rape in a hotel room in Ayia Napa in July 2019.
After she made her allegation, Cypriot authorities arrested the 12 Israelis, aged between 15 and 22 years and took DNA samples from all twelve. Police found five used condoms and thirteen condom wrappers in the room.
The Israelis were later released from Cypriot custody after the woman retracted her story and was charged with lying to police.
In her subsequent trial, her defense team argued the guilty verdict came as a result of a written confession in which the woman who was 19 at the time, later withdrew.
They argued it was extracted under duress in the absence of a lawyer or translator after eight hours of police questioning.
Supporters react to Supreme Court judgment - British woman has won her appeal against conviction for wasting police time #Cyprus pic.twitter.com/QMs1pE6LS6
— anna holligan 🎙 (@annaholligan) January 31, 2022
Speaking about the outcome through a statement issued by her mother the woman said: "It is a great relief we hear that the authorities in Cyprus have recognised the flaws in their legal process.
"Whilst this decision doesn’t excuse the way she was treated by the police, or the judge or those in authority, it does bring with it the hope that my daughter’s suffering will at least bring positive changes in the way victims of crime are treated.”