Monday, December 30, Cypriot courts have recognized a girl from the UK is guilty of perjury stating that a group of Israeli tourists raped her in the resort of Cyprus.
19-year-old girl from Britain, whose name was not made public for legal reasons, was accused of 12 Israelis aged 15 to 18 years in rape of 17 July at the hotel in Ayia NAPA.
The Israelites were freed without charges in the same month, after the girl was arrested on suspicion of «false statement about the alleged crime.»
«The statements that you gave was false,» said the judge Michalis Papathanasiou.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 7. The maximum fine is € 1,700 (about $1900) or to a year in prison.
Girl’s lawyer said they will appeal in the Supreme court of Cyprus.
«We believe that there were many irregularities in the procedure, and the right to a fair trial was violated,» — said the lawyer Nicoletta Charalambidou.
Another lawyer, Riza of Pakri, urged the court to show leniency in sentencing, saying that she regretted their actions and made them «immaturity» and under the influence of antidepressants.
Human rights organizations claim that she was subjected to humiliation and ill-treatment by the police and media, and called for an investigation into how the authorities considered the case.
The lawyer part of the Israelites, against whom he testified is British, welcomed the court’s decision.
Attorney-NCI Jakovich called for a «severe sentence» to deter «everyone who believes that it is possible to invent false accusations».
Lawyers for the Israelis added that he would sue the girl for damages.
