Cyprus court finds British woman guilty of false gang-rape claim

A court in Cyprus on Monday found a British woman guilty of falsely claiming she was gang-raped by a group of Israeli tourists in the holiday resort of Ayia Napa.

The woman, who was 19 at the time of the incident in July, had pleaded not guilty to the charge of “public mischief”, which carries a sentence of up to one year in prison and a fine of about 1,700 euros ($1,900).

“The statements you have given were false,” the judge told the defendant in remarks translated by the court interpreter. Sentencing was adjourned until January 7.

She appeared frustrated by the delay to the sentencing, telling her lawyer: “He already made his decision! I thought we were asking for a fine.”

More than a dozen women from an association for the protection of women attended court in the town of Paralimni wearing white scarves with an image of lips sewn shut printed on them.

The woman’s lawyers had claimed she was pressured into signing a statement written by a detective.