Five Israelis to go on trial for alleged Cyprus rape of Briton
The defendants face charges of rape, sexual coercion, forced sexual intercourse, sexual harassment, abduction, and indecent assault against a woman
Five Israelis will stand trial next month for allegedly gang-raping a young British woman in the Cyprus holiday resort townof Ayia Napa, a court ruled Monday.
The five men, aged between 19 and 20, will appear before a criminal court on October 5.
Police say the defendants face charges of rape, sexual coercion, forced sexual intercourse, sexual harassment, abduction, and indecent assault against a woman. They were arrested on September 4 after a 20-year-old Briton told police she was gang-raped the previous day in a hotel room.
In another case in Ayia Napa four years ago, 12 Israelis were arrested after a teenage British girl reported that she was attacked. The Israelis were released after she retracted her statement but also said police had pressured her into doing so.
The 19-year-old girl was convicted in 2020 for causing public mischief and given a four-month suspended jail term. But in 2022, the Supreme Court quashed her conviction on appeal after defense lawyers argued there had been a miscarriage of justice.
Official tourism figures for August show Israelis were the second largest group of visitors to Cyprus, accounting for 14.9 percent, behind Britain at 35.9 percent.