A British woman who accused Israeli teens of gang-raping her earlier this year has been found guilty of fabricated the claims.
A court in Paralimni, Cyprus convicted the woman, who was 19 when she filed the false police report this summer, of public mischief Monday, finding that the British tourist had falsely accused 12 Israelis of gang-raping her in a hotel in the resort town of Ayia Napa on July 17th.
Judge Michalis Papathanasiou said the defendant did not tell the truth during her trial, and accused her of trying to deceive the court of “convenient” and “evasive” statements.
"The statements you have given were false," Papathanasiou said.
"He already made his decision! I thought we were asking for a fine," the defendant said to her lawyer.
More than a dozen female protesters were in court Monday, wearing white scarves with an image of lips sewn shut, AFP reported.
The woman, whose identity has not been released, could face up to one year in prison and a fine of 1,700 euros ($1,900).
The court set the date for sentencing for January 7th.
While staying in Ayia Napa in mid-July, the defendant claimed she met and befriended a teenage Israeli tourist. The two engaged in consensual intercourse, she claimed, but said she the encounter ceased to be consensual when the Israeli tourist’s friends became involved.
The defendant filed a police complaint accusing 12 Israeli tourists, ages 15 to 18, of gang-raping her, leading to their arrests.
After five of the 12 were conclusively found to not have been present at the time of the alleged incident, however, authorities released them and allowed them to return to Israel.
The defendant later admitted to investigators that she had fabricated the rape claims, saying that she had done so out of anger towards the Israeli tourists.
Police then arrested the young woman, and charged her with public mischief.
The woman later recanted her confession, claiming it had been made under duress.