The Supreme Court of Cyprus overturned the verdict for the British woman who was accused of inventing complaint of gang rape in a holiday resort in Megalonisos.
Two years after the then-teenager was sentenced to a four-month suspended sentence, the court dismissed the case, acknowledging that no fair trial had taken place.
“This is a critical moment,” said Michael Pollack of Justice’s Legal Aid Group, which coordinated the appeal.
“Not only for our client who always defended her innocence, even when she did it made it difficult for her not to be able to return home during the long trial, but also for others around the world in similar positions.” .
BREAKING British student WINS appeal against ‘public mischief’ conviction, following her retracted statement regarding alleged gang rape in Cypriot holiday resort of Ayia Napa #Cyprus
– anna holligan ???? (@annaholligan) January 31, 2022
The 21-year-old student had claimed that she was gang-raped by up to 12 Israelis in a hotel room in Ayia Napa in July 2019. She had threatened to go to the European Court of Human Rights if the attempt to “clear” her name – before the Supreme Court of Cyprus- had failed.
The verdict was based on a written confession in which the teenager had withdrawn the complaint, but her defense team claimed that she was led to this decision under the pressure of the absence of a lawyer or translator after eight hours of police interrogation.
Although not in Nicosia for the verdict, the young woman welcomed the result in a statement issued by her mother.
“It is a great relief to hear that the authorities in Cyprus have acknowledged the shortcomings in their legal process,” the statement said.
“While this decision does not justify the way in which the police or the judge or the authorities treated her, it brings with it the hope that my daughter’s suffering will bring at least positive changes in the way victims of crime are treated.”
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