A BRIT teenager on trial for “public mischief” and accused of falsifying a rape claim whilst in Ayia Napa has described the moment Cyprus cops claimed the rape “didn’t happen”.
The unnamed 19-year-old, who initially claimed she was gang raped by 12 Israeli teenagers, said cops told her they had seen videos of the incident and insisted she had made the whole thing up.
The terrified teenager insists she only changed her statement under duress, describing how she went from a victim to being investigated herself in just a few hours.
The girl – who cannot be named under Cypriot law – also sent a string of text messages to her mum and friends describing how cops allegedly mishandled her case.
‘I DIDN’T STOP CRYING’
In court earlier today in the capital of Nicosia the girl, dressed in black, said: “I went to the police station and they started asking me questions at a really quick pace, I didn’t understand what they were saying but I tried to answer them.
“The main investigating officer Marios Christou said we have videos of the 17th and they showed me having consensual group sex.
“I stood up and said, ‘what, where is this coming from ?’ I asked to see the videos and he said it wasn’t possible but he said it was very clear there was no rape.
“He said the rape didn’t happen. I didn’t stop crying. I didn’t understand what was going on.
“He kept asking me to say there was no rape. I said I didn’t know what to do and I wanted to call my mum but he said no.
“I said my mum had a law degree, she wasn’t a lawyer and I said I know my rights, I have rights to a lawyer.
“But he said to me maybe in the UK but not in Cyprus. He started to give me reasons as to why I had made it up and that I hadn’t been raped.
“He threatens to arrest my friend and because of these videos he was going arrest me and the next time I would see my mum was in handcuffs in court.”
The girl added: “I sent my mum a text message and told her they had forced me to sign a statement, I said they were false statements.
“I said I was really scared being in there, I didn’t know if I could leave the police station without signing the statement.
“I was scared for my life and I texted a friend who called my mum.”
They’ve honestly made me sign false statements
Her mum who was sat just feet away, blinked back tears and nodded as her daughter, carried on: “My mum phoned the British police and the Embassy.
“When I heard she had done this I was worried as I thought it would have a negative effect with the Cyprus CID.
“I signed lots of papers in English and Greek, I was really panicky. They then gave me a paper of arrest and they became really aggressive.
“I showed them a part where it says I should have a lawyer and that put them on edge.
“I then texted my mum and said they have arrested me. Get the British police and Embassy involved. I need help ASAP.
“My mum said to say ‘no comment’ and say ‘I want to call a lawyer’. I said I didn’t want anything to do with Cyprus.
“I was texting her under the table, I didn’t want them to see, I told my mum I didn’t have much time.”
The court was also shown a series of text messages the girl had sent her mum and friends.
In one of them to a pal she wrote: “They think it’s a conspiracy and they threatened an international warrant to arrest you all for it including xxxxx who works at Gallianos.”
Another message to a pal said: “It’s going tits up, it’s crazy. They wouldn’t let me talk to anyone.
“I said I have a right to a have a lawyer her they said not in Cyprus. Maybe in the UK not in Cyprus.
“They’ve honestly made me sign false statements.”
Earlier DS Christou had told the court he and his investigation team had seen the videos and were satisfied no rape had taken place.
He said he asked if the girl had made up the claim for an insurance payout and complained because she had been embarrassed and offended by the video.
The girl’s family and her legal team say she is suffering from PTSD and urged the trial judge not to show the videos in court.
‘DANGEROUS PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE’
Her lawyer Ritsa Pekri said: “We strongly believe that there is no reason for them to be viewed as she is in a dangerous psychological state.”
Judge Andreas Papathanasiou agreed and the trial was adjourned until Wednesday.
Mr Polak, who works for the campaign group, Justice Abroad said: “We are all very pleased with the way she gave evidence in court.
“The strongest evidence of what happened in the police station on July 27 come from those messages she sent.
“You can see she had no legal representation, was made to sign false stamens and was very, very frightened.”
Cyprus police insist they handled the case correctly and they did not coerce her into making a false statement.
If convicted, the girl who is currently in a safe house in Nicosia, faces up to a year in jail.
A Go Fund Me page set up to pay for the teenager’s legal fees has reached just under £37,000 of its £50,000 target with many donations from outraged Israelis.
TV footage from July showed the boys returning to Tel Aviv airport and sickeningly chanting “The Brit girl is a whore.”
If found guilty of the charge of fomenting public mischief, the Brit could face up to a year in prison.
Since being granted bail she was taken to a safe house and asked to report to a local police station three times a week after having her passport seized.
The teen’s parents have set up a Go Fund Me page in order to help cover legal costs, with most of the donations coming from outraged Israelis.
Lawyers also called for the 12 Israeli men to be prosecuted for sharing a video online of her having sex with members of the group.
LEAKED SEX VIDEO
A 34-second video was leaked to the website Pornhub as well as Israeli media which legal experts say was an act of “revenge porn”.
Under UK law revenge porn is “the sharing of private, sexual materials, either photos or videos, of another person without their consent and with the purpose of causing embarrassment or distress.”
It is also banned under EU law as well.
Andreas Pittadjis, the woman’s former lawyer, told The Times: “These were supposed to be private… and now the whole world has seen them.
“The circulation of this video is much more serious than the charges the girl faces and yet nobody is doing anything about it.”
As well as explicit sex being shown in the footage the authorities and local media say the men also make derogatory comments about the woman in Hebrew as they engaged in sex.
A source told the paper: “You can hear one of the boys saying in Hebrew, ‘You’re my whore, say you are my whore.’
The Sun Online revealed that the teenager was lured to Cyprus by a firm blasted for putting youngsters at risk in ‘unsafe’ hotels for just £1.
Summer Takeover offers ‘introduction’ holidays for those looking for work in party hotspots like Ayia Napa, Kavos and Zante in exchange for a tiny token deposit.
But it has been slammed for leaving vulnerable teenagers stranded alone and jobless in ‘high risk’ hotels.
The girl jetted into Larnaca airport from Manchester at the beginning of July, heading for the two-star Pambos Napa Rocks resort.
The hotel, which can pack as many as 940 guests into its 240 rooms, is a huge draw for youngsters in Ayia Napa.
Famous for its pool parties, its biggest clients are young Russians, Swedes, Brits and Israelis – all determined to enjoy sun, sea and sex.
As part of her package, the girl was given a room for 28 days, shared with up to three other girls.
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