Ayia Napa ‘rape lie’ Brit, 19, freed on bail from hellhole cell she shared with NINE other women after not guilty plea – The Sun
A BRITISH teen accused of false gang-rape allegations has pleaded not guilty before being released on bail from a 'hell hole' prison cell she shared with nine other women.
The woman, 19, claimed that she was sexually abused by 12 Israeli men in the party hot spot but all members of the group were later released without charge.
The girl, 19, jetted into Larnaca airport from Manchester at the beginning of July, heading for the two-star Pambos Napa Rocks resort.
But she claims she was later attacked by a group of 12 Israeli men and ordered to sign a dodgy confession by Cypriot cops without her lawyer being present.
Appearing in court today, a source told The Sun that the girl was in very poor condition.
She has spent more than a month in Nicosia's general prison, and is thought to have shared a cramped cell with nine other women before being released on bail following today's court hearing.
The woman entered a not guilty plea to the charge of public mischief and a fee of £4,500 has been set as part of her bail conditions.
She will however have to remain in Cyprus to appear at a local police station in Nicosia three times a week as her lawyers looks to collect more 'missing evidence' to defend her case.
The girl's new lawyer, British QC Lewis Power, flew to the island to represent the teenager as she stood before a judge today.
Speaking last week, he said: "This case is multi-faceted and is of the paramount importance in the context of the application of the Rule of Law and the European Convention on Human Rights in Cyprus as well as the protection of a British Citizen’s basic human rights whilst abroad.
"I relish the opportunity to work alongside Justice Abroad and two eminent Cypriot human rights lawyers."
JUSTICE ABROAD
In a statement released today by legal aid group, Justice Abroad, they said that they were assisting a British teenager and her family.
They said: "At today’s hearing the teenager entered a not guilty plea and the matter will move towards trial.
"The teenager’s case is that she has not lied about being raped and that oppression was used by the Cypriot Police in order to get her to retract her rape allegations and that the purported retraction statement is unreliable.
The group also said that they would look to investigate the circumstances around the changed statement that the teenager says was forced as part of an 'eight hour ordeal' without a lawyer present.
They added: "The matter has now been set for a voire dire, a procedure which involves a trial within a trial to test the reliability of evidence upon which the prosecution seeks to rely.
"This will involve the Prosecution having to prove that the retraction statement was not obtained through oppression nor circumstances which were likely to have made it unreliable to the criminal standard, beyond reasonable doubt, and if they are unable to do so, that evidence being excluded from the trial.
"The case will then proceed to trial whereby the Prosecution will be required to prove that the teenager lied about being raped, again to the standard of beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Abroad’s Michael Polak commented: "It is important that the Cypriot Attorney General gives strong considerations to discontinuing this matter against the teenager who is a rape complainant and has spent a significant period in prison on remand."
The teenager is due to appear in court on 2 October.
LURED IN
It was revealed that the teenager was lured to Cyprus by a firm blasted for putting youngsters at risk in 'unsafe' hotels for just £1.
Summer Takeover offers 'introduction' holidays for those looking for work in party hotspots like Ayia Napa, Kavos and Zante in exchange for a tiny token deposit.
But it has been slammed for leaving vulnerable teenagers stranded alone and jobless in 'high risk' hotels.
Some parents say they have even had to fly their kids home from resorts, accusing the 'scam artist' company of putting them in danger.
The girl, 19, was one of dozens who signed up with the Newcastle-based company hoping to secure bar work or a role as a holiday rep.
After being accused of lying that she was attacked by a group of 12 Israeli men, a GoFundMe campaign to raise £15,000 for her defence was launched.
So far it has already topped £22,000 – with much of the money donated by Israelis. The target has now been raised to £50 000 to pay for legal representation
One Miami-based Israeli, Aryeh Fraser, donated £7,500.
'UNSAFE HOTELS'
The firm, which admits it does not guarantee any employment, boasts: "Reserve your space to work abroad summer 2019 for just £1 today."
The deposit secures a place in a resort, but youngsters have to pick up the tab for their own flights and insurance.
Once there they are expected to pay back a much larger sum – of around £450 – and a £50 "rep fee" on top.
The teen is understood to have agreed to paid a fee of up to £449 to Summer Takeover for a place in Ayia Napa.
The firm boasts: “Our reps will meet you at the hotel to get you all settled in to work in Ayia Napa.
“This is when the party begins – treat this first week as the holiday part of your working abroad experience.
“Between welcome meetings, Summer Takeover bar crawls, epic parties and sightseeing, you won’t have a spare moment!”
DAMNING REVIEWS
The girl jetted into Larnaca airport from Manchester at the beginning of July, heading for the two-star Pambos Napa Rocks resort.
The hotel, which can pack as many as 940 guests into its 240 rooms, is a huge draw for youngsters in Ayia Napa.
Famous for its pool parties, its biggest clients are young Russians, Swedes, Brits and Israelis – all determined to enjoy sun, sea and sex.
As part of her package, the girl was given a room for 28 days, shared with up to three other girls.
But damning reviews left on Trustpilot reveal a very different story.
One woman told how youngsters had been put up in windowless basement rooms with no air con.
She added: “I flew to Ayia Napa to get my daughter out of there just a week before the young girl was raped by the 12 Israelis at the Pambos Rocks Hotel.
“My daughter was worried about her safety there as bedroom doors were kept unlocked otherwise you would not be able to get in (at 2 or 3 in the morning after your unpaid night’s work), as there was only one key holder between the four of you.”
LEAKED SEX VIDEO
Lawyers also called for the 12 Israeli men to be prosecuted for sharing a video online of her having sex with members of the group.
A 34-second video was leaked to the website Pornhub as well as Israeli media which legal experts say was an act of “revenge porn”.
Under UK law revenge porn is “the sharing of private, sexual materials, either photos or videos, of another person without their consent and with the purpose of causing embarrassment or distress.”
It is also banned under EU law as well.
Andreas Pittadjis, the woman’s former lawyer, told The Times: “These were supposed to be private… and now the whole world has seen them.
“The circulation of this video is much more serious than the charges the girl faces and yet nobody is doing anything about it.”
As well as explicit sex being shown in the footage the authorities and local media say the men also make derogatory comments about the woman in Hebrew as they engaged in sex.
A source told the paper: “You can hear one of the boys saying in Hebrew, ‘You’re my whore, say you are my whore.’
"She doesn’t understand and asks what they are saying and one replies in English, ‘We are saying you’re sexy’. It is not very nice. It’s not how men should act.”
The British woman and her family have claimed that she was pressured to withdraw her complaint by detectives, who threatened to arrest her friends for “conspiracy” if she did not comply.
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