A British woman who was found guilty of lying about an alleged gang-rape has had her conviction overturned on appeal.
The woman, whose identity has been kept private, was 19 when she told police in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, that she had been raped by a group of 12 men in 2019.
She later retracted her allegation after being held in detention without a lawyer, before being charged and convicted of 'public mischief' and sentenced to a four month prison sentence by a judge.
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The case caused outrage among women's rights campaigners, and while her prison sentence was ultimately suspended and she was allowed to return home following the initial trial in January 2020, the woman's lawyer said she had decided to appeal the conviction in order to clear her name.
'We have always maintained that our client was not given a fair trial and today the Supreme Court of Cyprus has agreed with us,' barrister Michael Polak said in a statement following the verdict, which was handed down today, January 31, following a hearing in September.
'A young and vulnerable woman was not only mistreated when she reported the rape to the police, but then she was just put through a trial process that was manifestly unfair, as the Supreme Court has recognised.'
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In a statement, the woman's family said they hoped that Cypriot authorities would now investigate her initial allegations.
They said: '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 that victims of crime are treated.
Of course, if justice is to be done, an authority would need to pick up on the evidence that was gathered in Cyprus and do with it what should have happened at the outset.'
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Polak said the woman and her female lawyers had been 'treated with contempt' during the trial, alleging that the judge shouted 'this is not a rape trial' multiple times when presented with evidence that supported than woman's claims she had been raped, BBC News reports.
The 12 men accused of rape by the woman were all Israelis aged between 15 and 20, and were allowed to return home after being freed by police.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 between 12pm–2.30pm and 7pm–9.30pm every day. Alternatively, you can contact Victim Support free on 08 08 16 89 111 available 24/7, every day of the year, including Christmas
Topics: UK News
Hannah Smith