British teen remanded in Cyprus custody over rape claim

A British teenager who accused seven Israelis of gang rape leaving the Famagusta District Court in Paralimni in eastern Cyprus. (AFP)
Updated 30 July 2019
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British teen remanded in Cyprus custody over rape claim

  • The 19-year-old faces “public mischief” charges that come with a maximum sentence of one year in prison

PARALIMNI, CYPRUS: A British teenager was remanded in custody in Cyprus on Tuesday after she was arrested last week on suspicion of falsely accusing 12 Israeli tourists of gang rape.

The 19-year-old faces “public mischief” charges that come with a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of around 1,700 euros.

The young woman, who was not named, stood grim-faced during the session at the Famagusta District Court in Paralimni in southeast Cyprus without speaking. Her mother was also present.

She covered her face with the hood of her sweatshirt as she left the court and was put into a police van.

Her lawyer Andreas Pittadjis said she is expected to enter a plea when she appears again on Aug. 7.

He asked the court for time to “collect videotapes and statements” gathered by the Cypriot police during the investigation.

Initially, the teenager had alleged that 12 Israelis raped her at the hotel where she was staying in the popular resort of Ayia Napa on July 17.

The tourists aged 15 to 18 were released last week after the woman was arrested on suspicion of “making a false statement about an imaginary crime,” according to Cyprus police.

Ayia Napa is a magnet for younger tourists attracted by its reputation as an all-out party town and for its white-sand beaches.

Britain is the island’s biggest tourist market with around 1.3 million of its citizens traveling to Cyprus every year while nearby Israel is also becoming a key source of visitors.


Drone strike kills 1 in Russian border region ahead of Ukraine peace talks

Updated 3 sec ago
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Drone strike kills 1 in Russian border region ahead of Ukraine peace talks

One person was killed and two others wounded when a Ukrainian drone struck a car in the Russian border region of Belgorod, local officials said Sunday, ahead of peace talks to end the nearly 4-year-old war in Paris this week.
Belgorod regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said a young child was among the wounded.
In Ukraine, three people were wounded in the Kharkiv region in drone strikes overnight into Sunday, the country’s State Emergency Service said.
Meanwhile, the death toll from a Russian missile attack on the city of Kharkiv on Friday increased to four when two other bodies were found under the rubble of a building, Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov wrote on Telegram Sunday.
The latest attacks came after national security advisers from Europe and other allies visited Kyiv on Saturday to discuss security guarantees and economic support, as a US-led diplomatic push to end the war in Ukraine intensifies.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, preparing to travel to Paris for a meeting with partners, said Saturday that work on the peace proposals could now accelerate as Ukraine has shared all documents under discussion with the 18 national security advisers, including those on security guarantees.
He said representatives from Ukraine’s General Staff and military sector would meet on Monday in Paris, followed by a meeting Tuesday of European leaders, where he said he hoped documents on security guarantees would be finalized. He said there also would be meetings with US representatives in Paris.