Ayia Napa in Cyprus is one of the most popular summer holiday destinations for young British people seeking sun, sea and sometimes sex. The resort is close to a British military base at Dhekelia, which is home to thousands of UK troops.
A British teenager who claimed she was gang-raped by a group of Israeli tourists in the resort of Ayia Napa in Cyprus has been given a four month suspended prison sentence.
The sentence means the 19-year-old, who cannot be named, will be able to return to Britain for the first time since the incident in July.
Judge Michalis Papathanasiou, sitting in Famagusta District Court, said she had been found guilty of “public mischief” but he said he was going to give her a “second chance.”
Women's rights groups protested outside the courthouse and chanted: “We believe you” and “Cyprus justice, shame on you.
The girl, who faced up to a year in jail, hugged relatives after the sentence was passed.
Lawyers for the woman say the case was littered with legal mistakes, including the judge's repeated refusal to consider whether she was actually raped.
The girl has claimed she was forced to give a false statement by Cypriot police and the controversy has led to some women's groups in Britain to call for a tourist boycott of the island, which was a British colony until 1960.
The sentence was suspended for three years and the teenager was also ordered to pay 148 euros (£125) in legal fees.
The…
