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British teenager found guilty of lying about Ayia Napa gang-rape
A British woman has been found guilty of lying to police about being gang raped in a hotel in Ayia Napa, Cyprus.
She was arrested after she withdrew allegations that she was attacked by 12 Israeli youths in July.
She was 19 at the time and the Israeli holidaymakers she accused were aged between 15 and 18.
They were later released after Cypriot police claimed the woman had made up the attack after learning she was filmed having consensual sex.
A Go Fund Me page set up by her family has raised more than £50,000 towards legal costs.
According to posts last week on the fund raising page they were with her during the trial, staying at a ‘lovely modern villa’ and had been ‘hopeful she will be allowed to go home on the 30th and that justice will be served’.
But at a court in Paralimni she was found guilty on a charge of causing public mischief.
Lawyers representing her told a BBC reporter they were willing to appeal the case as far as the European Court of Human Rights.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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