A British teenager on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to causing public mischief for falsely accusing 12 Israeli tourists of gang rape in the Cyprus resort town of Ayia Napa.
The court adjourned the trial hearing for October 2 and the 19-year-old Briton was released on 5,000-euro bail plus 15,000-euro bond on condition she surrenders her passport and presents herself to a police station three times a week.
Her Cypriot lawyer Nicoletta Charalambidou informed the court that she will request that the Cypriot attorney general suspends criminal proceedings against her client on the grounds her rape claim retraction was coerced.
At the Famagusta District Court in Paralimni in southeast Cyprus, the teenager was also represented by British lawyer Lewis Power QC with Michael Polak from UK legal aid group Justice Abroad supporting the legal team.
The 19-year-old, who has not been named, is accused of "public mischief" that carries 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 which has already raised 23,556 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 on the page.
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.
Justice Abroad, which is assisting the teenager, claimed she did not voluntarily retract the rape allegation.
Polak, a British barrister with the organisation, has previously said the woman was 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 is providing legal assistance from the UK and assembled 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.
