Five Israeli men acquitted of British woman rape charges
Cyprus court finds there was “numerous substantial contradictions' in allegations
Five Israeli men were acquitted of all charges at a Cyprus court over the alleged gang rape of a 20-year-old British woman.
The males, all aged between 19 and 20, and from the Israeli-Arab town of Majd al-Krum, had been remanded in custody since the alleged incident in the resort of Ayia Napa on 3 September 2023.
But on Monday a three-member district court in Paralimni dismissed the charges after deciding the20-year-old’s account had “lacked coherence and contained numerous substantial contradictions”.
The court ruled her statement where she claimed she was dragged from a party of 100 people was not convincing, as a friend testified seeing her simply go upstairs to a room with another person.
While lab tests showed the woman had consumed significant amounts of alcohol and was also under the influence of narcotics (MDA and MDMA), the court ruled this was not to a degree that would deprive her of the ability to consent to sex – since she herself said she felt only “slightly dizzy” at the time.
Their lawyer Nir Yaslovitzh told Israel’s Channel 12: “It is a brave decision that completely rejected the complainant’s version and completely accepts our clients’ version.”
But the British woman’s lawyer strongly criticised the decision, which has also attracted criticism from women’s groups.
Michael Polak told the Guardian newspaper:” The young lady in this case is gay, any suggestion that she voluntarily agreed to group sex with men she had never met before, who were speaking in a different language, is ridiculous.
“She has been left completely distraught by the court’s verdict today. It was one of the hardest phone calls I have ever had to make.”
Polak, from the UK based Justice Abroad organisation, added:”“Recently, the European court of human rights ruled that there is no effective protection for women subject to sexual offences in the Republic of Cyprus.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
