Cypriot police failed Briton in gang rape case, says court

Authorities "failed" a British woman who alleged she was gang raped by Israeli tourists in Cyprus, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled.

- TARA COBHAM

The woman, who was 18 at the time of the alleged attack and is identified in court documents as “X”, reported being raped by up to 12 Israeli youths in a hotel room in July 2019 in the holiday resort of Ayia Napa.

However, after hours of police interrogation without legal representation, she retracted her statement – which she later said she had done under duress. She was charged with “public mischief” and handed a suspended jail sentence.

In a ruling described as a “landmark decision for victims of sexual violence” by the woman’s lawyer, the ECHR agreed with “X” that Cyprus had failed in its legal duty to effectively investigate and prosecute her allegations.

A close friend of the family said the woman and her mother are feeling “vindicated in every possible way” as “their determination has been seen to be worthwhile”. Jamie Doran, who said he spoke with the pair yesterday morning following the ECHR’s ruling, told The Independent: “Of course they are feeling very, very good at the moment because they’ve seen justice has been served.”