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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
James Morris

British woman, 19, faces court in Cyprus after gang rape allegation is dismissed

A file image of a police bus taking the Israeli suspects to court on Friday. They have now all been released and the 19-year-old accuser is facing charges (Picture: Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters)

A British woman who claimed she was raped in Cyprus is due in court today after investigators dismissed her allegations.

The woman, 19, will have a custody hearing after she was arrested.

The woman faces a public nuisance charge, according to Yiannis Habaris, who represents two of seven Israeli teenagers who were being detained over the alleged incident at a hotel in the party resort of Ayia Napa.

They have now all been released and some were pictured celebrating with relatives after being released from Famagusta police station in Paralimni.

Two of the suspects pictured arriving at Famagusta District Court on Friday (EPA)

Mr Habaris said investigators questioning the woman had concluded her allegations "didn't stand to reason".

Cypriot authorities initially arrested 12 Israeli teens on July 17 following the rape allegation. Five of them were released on Thursday.

The state-run Cyprus News Agency reported the woman allegedly told investigators she filed a rape report because she was "angry and insulted" that some of the Israelis allegedly recorded video of her having consensual sex with a number of them.

Mr Habaris and another defence lawyer, Nir Yavlovitzh, also told reporters they intend to sue the young woman on behalf of those she accused, who were detained for 11 days.

Mr Habaris said: "We will proceed with legal action against the individual that made the false allegations, for damages, for every day and every moment they were in prison falsely.”

Mr Yavlovitzh said the seven teens were aged between 15 and 18 and that the young woman "needs to think clearly about what she [did] to the boys who stayed in jail".

Additional reporting by Associated Press.

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