Woman jailed after lying about rape in Cyprus has verdict overturned
The woman was given a suspended four-month jail term
Last updated 31st Jan 2022
A British woman who was jailed for lying about being gang raped in Cyprus is celebrating after her sentence was overturned.
The woman, aged 21 from Derby, was given a four month suspended sentence in Cyprus after alleged she was attacked by 12 Israeli tourists in the holiday town.
In her initial statement to police, the woman said she was attacked and then raped by the men aged between 15 and 20 at the time, while on holiday in July of 2019.
However, she was later charged with lying after retracting the statement - which she says she was pressured to do by Cypriot police.
The woman was found guilty of public mischief in early 2020 and was given her suspended sentence at the time.
But the woman's lawyers in both the UK and in Cyprus took the verdict of the case to the Supreme Court in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia in September last year.
On Monday, the Supreme Court allowed the woman's sentence to be overturned, and was warmly welcomed by the woman and her family, who did not attend the hearing.
Speaking about the ruling, the woman's lawyer in Cyprus, Nicoletta Charalambidou, commended the decision but said that the initial allegations must now be properly investigated.
"This is a very important day for women's rights and in particular for victims of rape or other forms of sexual violence in Cyprus," she said.
"The acquittal by the supreme court of the young teenager points to the failure of the authorities to effectively investigate the rape claims she reported. This is what we will now pursue."
In a statement, the woman's family also welcomed the reversal of the judge's decision, saying it was a "great relief" that the Cypriot legal system had recognised its flaws.
"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," they added.
"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."