THE British teen convicted of making up gang rape claims against 12 Israelis in Cyprus said as her trial ordeal ended yesterday: “I can’t wait to get home.”
The woman, 19, boarded a flight back to the UK after a judge gave her a suspended jail term for “public mischief”.
Overcome with emotion, she told The Sun how she was desperate to enjoy England’s “cold weather”, tuck into a “cheeky Nando’s” and go for walks with her pet dog again.
She also beamed with delight s TV’s This Morning hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby sent messages of congratulations to her soon after she left court in Famagusta.
The woman, who insists she is innocent, vowed: “My fight goes on”.
She and her mother boarded a BA jet from Larnaca to London after two passengers gave up their seats for 550 euros, following an appeal for volunteers by airline staff.
In an exclusive interview, she said: “I really thought it would be a custodial sentence when I arrived at court. When the translator said four months, I thought I was going to jail.
“It was only when she said suspended that I realised I was actually finally going home. I looked at my mum and we both had tears in our eyes. I’m so delighted to be going home.”
The teen voiced appreciation to hundreds of donors to her legal fund — many of them loyal Sun readers.
She added: “I want to thank everyone who has supported me. I am innocent and the fight will go on to clear my name.
‘A NIGHTMARE’
“It’s been a nightmare for me, mum and everyone. Now I just want to be with my friends and family.
“What kept me going was my family and the amazing support of my friends and all other people who got in contact to say they believed me.
“Now, at last, I can go home to my own bed. I’m even looking forward to the cold weather back in England!
“I can’t wait to have a cheeky Nando’s and to take my dog for a long walk through the countryside.”
The teenager, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, was forced to spend nearly five weeks in prison on remand in a cell with up to nine other women.
Even after being granted bail in August, she was kept under virtual house arrest in a villa in the holiday resort of Ayia Napa and had her passport seized.
Her lawyers have already begun work on an appeal. Judge Michalis Papathanasiou suspended her jail term for three years, and ordered her to pay £125 court fees.
He told her he was giving her a “second chance” after last week convicting her despite huge holes in the prosecution’s case.
‘VERY AGGRESSIVE’
The judge sparked fury by insisting “all the evidence shows that she had lied”. He dismissed expert defence witnesses as “unreliable” while ruling all prosecution ones “credible”.
Prosecutors also tried to pass off injuries to the woman — said to have been caused when she was held down by her attackers — as “jellyfish stings”.
She told The Sun: “I felt the judge was very aggressive towards me and vindictive. He was misogynistic towards me and my female defence team. They were barely allowed to ask questions and yet the prosecutor had me on the stand for six hours.”
Well-wishers chanted outside the court yesterday and held signs saying, “We Believe You”.
Her ordeal began last summer after she flew to Ayia Napa for a working holiday before university. On July 17 — in floods of tears — she and a pal rushed to tell cops she had been gang-raped by a group of Israelis. Police arrested the 12 suspects aged 16 to 19, but later released them.
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Cops then accused her of making up the claims. She was quizzed for eight hours without a lawyer before being ordered to sign a dictated statement retracting her allegations.
Last night the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Foreign Office will be working with Cyprus and other countries on how we can avoid cases like this happening again.
“We have had numerous concerns about the judicial process in this case.
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