PHOTO: The teenage British tourist who accused seven Israelis of gang rape arrives at the Famagusta District Court in Paralimni, eastern Cyprus
A British tourist who was arrested on suspicion of filing a false gang-rape accusation against a group of 12 Israeli teenagers in Cyprus was remanded in custody Monday by a local court, as Cypriot police prepared to file charges against her instead.
She later admitted that her gang-rape accusation against a dozen Israeli teens in Cyprus was untrue, and is expected to be indicted Tuesday on a public nuisance charge.
The 19-year-old, who has not been identified, appeared in a Paralimni court Monday, but Judge Tonia Antoniou remanded her for an additional 24 hours to allow time for her attorney to arrive from the UK, the Times of Israel reported.
The woman, who covered her face with a sweater as she was led through a phalanx of local and foreign journalists, will remain in custody until her court appearance because she poses a flight risk, the Cyprus News Agency reported.
She will be charged with disturbing the public order, an offense that can carry up to a year behind bars and a fine in the explosive case.
The woman was arrested Sunday after police said she recanted an accusation that the 12 Israelis — ranging in age from 15 to 18 — raped her in a room at the Pambos Napa Rocks Hotel in the holiday resort of Ayia Napa.
After initially detaining the 12 for questioning, Cypriot authorities released five last week and the remaining seven on Sunday. They had all denied any wrongdoing.
The woman told police that two of the teens held her down by the arms as she cried to be released — and that their friends then took turns raping her.
On Sunday, she changed her tune, saying she had consensual sex with three of the teens and that when she refused to let a fourth take part, he kicked her out of the room, according to Channel 12.
The British tourist said she also had leveled the accusations against the group because she felt humiliated when they recorded the act without her consent.
She had every right to feel humiliated — what the teen who allegedly recorded her did was disgusting — however, the remedy for being humiliated is not to file a false rape charge (or any false charge) against a group of men.
It’s almost as bad as man adult performer claiming she was raped on set because she didn’t like the way the scene came out.
Meanwhile, some of the youths have said they plan to file a joint lawsuit against the woman, seeking at least 60,000 euros — almost $67,000 — in damages. Channel 13 reported that local authorities are considering suing the tourist for the high cost of the probe.
Cyprus also will take legal action against anyone who helped promote the rape allegation, Ayia Napa Mayor Yiannis Karousos told the news outlet, “including the girl who gave the alleged statement to police.”
“In the following days, the council of ministers will approve the installation of CCTV cameras around the city of Ayia Napa, the first of their type in Cyprus,” he added. “Because tourists don’t just have to be safe, they have to feel they are safe.”
No angels
Not everyone in Israel expressed elation at the outcome of the case, as several media outlets and many social media users decried the festive atmosphere surrounding the teens’ return to the country.
The Yedioth Ahronoth daily published a satirical cartoon comparing the reception of the cleared boys to the 1976 state ceremony to welcome back the released airline hostages from Entebbe, Uganda.
On social media, many Israelis also pointed out that even though they were cleared of rape charges in Cyprus, they would have faced criminal charges for filming the sex if the incident had occurred in Israel.
In 2014, the country banned “revenge porn” in a bid to prevent the distribution of some pornographic content over the internet.
The law stipulates that those found guilty of posting such content will be prosecuted as sex offenders and that the offense is punishable by up to five years in the slammer, the Times of Israel reported.
