Five Israelis are charged with gang-raping British tourist in Cyprus
Five Israelis are accused of gang-raping British tourists in Cyprus
- The group was arrested following accusations made by the woman after a pool party
- Officers arrested the men who were on holiday in the seaside resort of Ayia Napa
Five Israeli men have been formally charged with gang rape of a British holidaymaker in Cyprus and will stand trial next month.
The group, all aged between 19 and 20, were detained after the woman complained to police that she had been targeted after a pool party at her three-star hotel earlier this month.
Officers quickly arrested the men holidaying in the party resort of Ayia Napa, in a case that bears disturbing similarities to a 2019 incident involving another British holidaymaker who was raped by a group of Israelis.
In the latest case, the five appeared before a crowded court in Famagusta on Monday after being held in custody since the alleged rape. They were told their trial would begin on October 5 with their families watching.
They are charged with rape, sexual assault by penetration, sexual intercourse by force, rape by forcible sexual penetration, indecent assault on a woman, sexual harassment and kidnapping.
The group, all aged between 19 and 20, were detained after the woman complained to police earlier this month that she had been targeted after a pool party in Ayia Napa (file image)
The court ordered their detention until Tuesday, pending a decision on whether to grant the prosecutor’s request to keep them in custody until the trial.
The five men deny raping the 20-year-old, who identified four of them before returning to Britain.
According to a leaked report, she had bruises and wounds consistent with an assault and a statement from her was read by the prosecutor detailing the horrific attack, which is too graphic to publish.
The court also heard that several staff members witnessed the aftermath of the alleged attack and would testify at the hearing – including how they saw the victim flee by climbing out of a second-floor window at the Fedrania Gardens hotel.
A forensic examination of the room where the attack took place found traces of blood on the floor and on sheets on the bed.
The men, who are all from the Arab-Israeli town of Majd al-Krum near Acre, all deny the allegations and claim the sex was consensual.
The woman told police she was forcibly taken to the hotel room after one of the men started flirting with her and the others joined in after assaulting her.
Lawyer Michael Polak of campaign Group Justice Abroad, who is representing the woman and also acted for the 2019 victim, told MailOnline: ‘We are pleased that the case is progressing and look forward to a just resolution.’
A relative of one of the five Israelis covered her face with a bag as she left the Famagusta District Courthouse building in Paralimni, Cyprus last week.
Earlier this month, the woman in the first case told MailOnline exclusively: ‘We send our sincere support to the young woman at the center of these reports.
“We hope that the Cypriot authorities will not further insult the victim, which led to pre-trial detention and the unlawful prosecution which was successfully appealed at great emotional and financial cost.”
‘This was achieved with support from UK media, politicians and with funds raised through GoFundMe and from individual donors for which we remain extremely grateful.’
The now 22-year-old had gone from victim to suspect after police dismissed her claims, saying she had made them up. She was eventually given a 16-week suspended sentence in January 2020 before the sentence was overturned by the High Court of Cyprus.
The woman in the last case has a crowdfunding page to help pay legal fees and has a target of £8,000 with a total fundraising target of £840.