Briton `distraught’ after Cyprus court acquits five men accused of raping her

A British tourist is “really shocked, sad and distraught” after charges against the five Israeli men she accused of gang-raping her in a hotel were dropped by a court in Cyprus, her lawyer has said.

On Monday, a three-member Assize court, sitting as a district court in Paralimni, ruled the testimony of the 20-year-old had not been credible as it “lacked coherence and contained numerous substantial contradictions”, The Guardian reported.

Police said she had picked the men out of a line-up as having raped her during a hotel pool party in the coastal resort town of Ayia Napa on September 3 2023.

The defendants, who were then aged 19 and 20, had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The woman is “really sad and really upset” about the acquittals which saw all of the men walk free from court, according to her lawyer Michael Polak.

He said: “She is openly gay, not interested in men at all and the defence was that she consented to group sex with these Arab Israeli men who do not speak English.

“So she is really shocked by the verdict.”

The woman, who cannot be legally identified, was “highly distressed” as she told police that she was “taken by force” during a party and was then sexually assaulted in a hotel room, it was reported.

Mr Polak, who is director of the Justice Abroad organisation, added he is “not surprised” by the ruling.

It comes after the European Court of Human Rights ruling earlier this year that Cyprus’ law enforcement authorities failed to live up to their obligation to thoroughly and effectively investigate a British teenager’s claims.

Mr Polak has written to the Attorney General in Cyprus to appeal against the verdict in this week’s case.

He said: “We think one of the higher courts should look at it and look at it properly,” before adding: “We’ll see what happens but we don’t have great hope.”

Mr Polak said it is “very difficult to assess” the criticisms that have been made about the 20-year-old’s testimony, saying he has yet to see the full judgment.

He added: “But I do know that she has no interest in men or entering into a group sex act people she did not know or speak the same language – none of that has been mentioned.”