The Police Force also makes mistakes, their spokesman said on Wednesday when asked to comment on the Supreme Court’s overturning of a controversial conviction of a British woman gang-raped in Ayia Napa in 2019.
But they will have to first study Monday’s top Court decision in detail and also discuss it with the Attorney General’s Office before their next step is announced, Christos Andreou also said.
The then 19-yer-old woman was accused by Famagusta District Court of making up the rape claims by a dozen Israelis vacationing at the time in the famous for partying coastal resort.
Her British but also Cypriot defense lawyers have made clear they would now try to get to the bottom of why authorities failed to “effectively investigate” the rape claims.
The Derbyshire teenager retracted the allegation after being held without a lawyer, and was then tried and convicted of causing public mischief.
There was no female officer present, which is standard practice in most countries, when questioning an alleged rape victim, her defense team also said.
Not only was zero sensitivity shown to the teenage girl but the police appeared to have treated her as the offender, they added.
The Israeli men and boys arrested over the incident, aged between 15 and 20 at the time, denied any wrongdoing, were freed and returned home.
The young woman was handed a suspended sentence in January 2020 and flew home to the UK immediately afterwards.
An appeal hearing was then held at the Supreme Court on September 16, 2021.
