Famagusta District Court ordered five Israelis who are suspects in the case of gang-rape of a 20-year-old British woman in Ayia Napa to remain in custody until their trial, which is set to commence on October 5.
The defendants were indicted on Monday with serious charges and will face a direct trial before the Famagusta Criminal Court on October 5.
The five Israelis face a battery of charges, including rape, sexual assault by penetration, forced sexual intercourse, coercion to engage in sexual intercourse or other sexual acts, indecent assault against a woman, sexual harassment, and abduction.
The young British woman suffered injuries and bruises on her body, a fact documented in the forensic report.
Furthermore, traces of blood were found in the Israelis’ hotel room, and these have been sent for scientific examination, along with the victim’s clothing and bed linens taken from the scene.
The five suspects deny the allegations of rape, with one of them claiming that the sexual encounter was consensual.
The 20-year-old woman reported the gang rape on Sunday, September 3. She told police that she had visited the hotel where the suspects were staying because she had been invited to a pool party.
According to her statement, she was approached by an unknown Israeli individual who began flirting with her. Subsequently, the suspect allegedly forcibly took her by the hand and led her to the room where he resided with other compatriots. There, as claimed by the victim, she was sexually assaulted by multiple individuals.
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Trial drama unfolds in Cyprus as 5 Israelis face allegations of gang rape
