Five men go on trial after British tourist 'gang-raped in Cyprus hotel room'

18 December 2023 , 23:21

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Women's rights activists hold a banner in front of the court where five Israeli tourists are standing trial (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The trial of five young Israeli men, who are charged with gang raping a 20-year-old British tourist, has begun in court in Cyprus.

The five Israeli men, aged 19 and 20, are accused of raping the woman in a room of the Fedrania Gardens Hotel after a pool party in the party town of Ayia Napa in eastern Cyprus on September 3. In a case being closely monitored by the UK’s Foreign Office, the accused, who have been imprisoned pending trial, were brought before a three-member panel of judges on Monday.

"The trial has begun and will continue until it ends. We take these matters very seriously", a police spokesperson in Nicosia told the Mirror. The defendants smiled and winked at relatives who had gathered in support in the chamber at Famagusta District Court. All five are from a town near Acre, in northwest Israel. The Briton, who cannot legally be identified, told police she had been sexually assaulted after being "taken by force" from the pool area of her hotel to her room.

Cypriot police cars transport Israeli accused to the Famagusta district court in Paralimni (AFP via Getty Images)

She has recounted claims that she was violently attacked. Three of the defendants later admitted to having sex with the woman but described it as consensual. In October all five pleaded not guilty to an array of charges including rape, sexual assault by penetration, sexual intercourse through violence, rape by compelling sexual penetration and abduction.

Michael Pollak, who heads the UK legal aid body Justice Abroad, said the woman is determined to see justice done even if that means giving evidence in court. The Brit, who immediately reported the incident and is now in the UK, singled out the suspects in a police lineup the day after the alleged attack. Pollak said: "She is willing to give evidence to secure justice. We are very happy the trial has started."

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The allegations have evoked memories of a similar case when a British student accused 12 Israeli teenagers of gang rape in Ayia Napa. She was convicted of lying about being gang-raped but had her conviction quashed earlier this year. Lawyers for the 21-year-old, who also cannot be named, appeared before the Supreme Court in Cyprus to hear a judge’s decision after appealing 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's District Court. Both cases have caused consternation in Israel. Orit Sulitzeanu, the executive director of the country’s Association of Rape Crisis Centres, described the latest suspected incident as being part of a pattern. She said: "This case is a warning for Israeli society because this is not an isolated case ... a dangerous phenomenon of group sexual abuse is developing here as part of the culture of recreation abroad. The education system in Israel has a critical role in educating the youth about healthy sexuality and preventing sexual harm."

Rachel Hagan