In a significant ruling from Cyprus, a criminal court has acquitted five Israeli men previously accused of sexually assaulting a British woman in a hotel room, citing unreliable and contradictory testimony from the accuser. The alleged crime, dating back to September 3, 2023, involved charges of sexual assault and abduction against the defendants, who were between the ages of 19 and 20.
The court’s decision, reported by the Cyprus News Agency, indicated that inconsistencies in the woman’s statements were primarily related to identifying those involved in the incident. The accuser’s initial interviews with investigators showed several inconsistencies, initially deemed minor, but further scrutiny cast doubt on her credibility. Her explanations regarding the identification of the suspects, as well as statements during a police line-up, were described as “entirely incomprehensible and inconsistent.”
During closed-door proceedings, the court observed that the woman’s statements to investigators contained significant variations. She initially incriminated three men and later accused five, including two who were proven absent from the scene of the alleged rape. Furthermore, witness accounts contradicted her claims of shouting for help and the circumstances under which the hotel room door was opened to allow others inside.
The 20-year-old woman, at the time of the reported incident, had traces of alcohol and the hallucinogens MDA and MDMA, often referred to as “Sally” and “Molly,” in her system. However, the court concluded that these substances had not impaired her capacity for consent, as she only reported minor dizziness. All the accused Israelis denied the charges from the outset.
The woman’s accusations stemmed from an incident at a hotel pool party in Ayia Napa. She told the authorities that one of the men forcibly led her to a room, attempted to undress her, and then was joined by others who allegedly assaulted her. She claimed repeated assaults occurred, managing to lock herself in a bathroom and eventually escape to alert her friends about the ordeal.
This court decision follows a recent judgment by the European Court of Human Rights, which found that Cypriot authorities did not adequately investigate a similar incident involving a British teenager and Israeli nationals in 2019, again in Ayia Napa. Despite these past criticisms, the recent acquittal underscores the challenges of substantiating claims without consistent evidence and reliable testimony.