Brit woman who said she was gang-raped in Ayia Napa cleared of lying conviction

A British woman convicted of lying about being gang-raped in Cyprus has had her conviction overturned. Lawyers for the 21-year-old, who cannot be named, appeared before the Supreme Court in Cyprus to hear a judge’s decision after lodging an appeal in September. The woman, a university student from Derby, was 19 when she was given a suspended four-month jail term in 2020 by a Cypriot judge who found her guilty of public mischief following a trial at Famagusta District Court in Paralimni. She told police she was attacked by up to 12 Israeli tourists in a hotel room in the party town of Ayia Napa on July 17 2019, but was charged after signing a retraction statement 10 days later. The woman has maintained she was pressured by officers to withdraw the rape allegation and has vowed to clear her name, having flown home from the island hours after being sentenced. The family of the victim said in a statement: “It is a great relief we hear that the authorities in Cyprus have recognised the flaws in their legal process.