A British teenager’s trial in Cyprus for falsely accusing 12 Israeli tourists of gang rape was postponed on Monday after the woman requested, she also be represented by a UK lawyer.
The court adjourned the next hearing until August 27 after the teenager’s new Cypriot lawyer Nicoletta Charalambidou informed the judge her client wanted a British lawyer to represent her as well during the trial.
Charalambidou asked for time to review the case and said she had sent a letter to the attorney general outlining her client’s preference and was awaiting his response.
Earlier this month the Briton’s original Cypriot lawyer Andreas Pittadjis resigned from the case over “serious differences” with his client but he did not disclose what those disagreements were.
The Briton has yet to enter a plea, she will remain in police custody until her next court appearance at the Famagusta District Court in Paralimni in southeast Cyprus.
The 19-year-old faces "public mischief" charges that come with a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of around 1,700 euros.
Her parents are seeking donations for their daughter’s legal defence by setting up a GoFundMe page 10 days ago which is trending and already raised 22,5000 pounds – with an aim of 50,000 — to cover the legal fees of the woman.
“We maintain that the statement was given under duress and in breach of her rights, resulting in the collapse of the initial investigation and charges of public mischief being made against her,” the parents said.
Initially, the teenager had alleged that 12 Israelis raped her at the hotel where she was staying in the popular resort of Ayia Napa on July 17.
The tourists aged 15 to 18 were released last month after the woman was arrested on suspicion of "making a false statement about an imaginary crime", according to Cyprus police.
But the legal aid group Justice Abroad, which is assisting the teenager, claimed she did not voluntarily retract the rape allegation.
Michael Polak, a British barrister with the organisation, said she had been refused legal representation, despite requests and in contravention of the European convention on human rights.
The barrister said the apparent confession was dictated to her and investigators made clear that if she signed it, she could return to her hotel, but if she refused, she would be arrested.
Cyprus police spokesman, Christos Andreou, rejected the claims as “baseless”.
He said the woman freely asked to make a second statement in which she retracted everything that she had claimed in the first one.
The fundraiser page said Justice Abroad has been providing legal assistance from the UK and was assembling a legal team “to challenge the many breaches of her rights.”
Ayia Napa is a magnet for younger tourists attracted by its reputation as an all-out party town and for its white-sand beaches.
Britain is the island's biggest tourist market with around 1.3 million of its citizens travelling to Cyprus every year while nearby Israel is also becoming a key source of visitors.
