WE’LL SUE BRIT WHO BRANDED US RAPISTS
Sex attack claim tourist in dock as freed Israeli teens celebrate
youths who were accused of gang-raping a 19-year-old British tourist yesterday threatened to sue her for libel after she appeared in court accused of making false claims.
the 12 young men, aged 15 to 18, were arrested on the holiday island of Cyprus then freed and returned to their homes in Israel when police dropped the case.
the 19-year-old was charged with ‘public mischief’ over the weekend and appeared in court yesterday.
the woman is facing a massive backlash in Israel after accusing the group of raping her in the party town of Ayia Napa. three youths admitted having sex with her, insisting it was consensual. the others all denied rape.
the group are said to have celebrated their release after returning in Israel with champagne, with some chanting of their accuser ‘the Brit is a whore’.
yesterday one teenager, yona Golub, said: ‘We will sue her for the anguish caused and for libel. I am walking in the street and people are calling me a rapist. I don’t know the girl.’
the woman, who the Daily Mail is choosing not to name, concealed her face with a black hoodie as she was escorted in handcuffs to a courthouse in Paralimni. the Briton – dressed in black leggings and trainers – tapped her feet as she listened to the brief proceedings through an interpreter.
the courtroom was packed with Israeli journalists for the 20-minute hearing which saw her case postponed until today as the woman’s lawyer was away from the island.
Granting the one-day postponement, the judge remanded the woman in police custody because she was said to pose a risk of fleeing.
she was arrested on sunday as the group of Israelis – who were on holiday before starting national service – were freed by police. the youths had been held after she claimed she had been raped at a budget hotel on July 17. she told police up to a dozen men had held her down before taking it in turns to sexually assault her.
Five youths were released last thursday after DNA testing and the remaining seven were freed on sunday when the woman allegedly ‘changed her story’.
It is believed the woman had a holiday fling with one of the teens before the allegations were made.
A police source said that during further questioning the woman withdrew her first statement and admitted she had not been raped.
Local media reported that the Briton said she filed a rape report because she was ‘angry and insulted’ that a number of the Israelis allegedly recorded a video of her having sex.
Doubts grew over the claims in the light of contradictory DNA evidence. It also emerged one of the accused was in bed with his girlfriend at the time of the alleged attack.
the Israelis said they plan to take civil action against the woman.
Mr Golub, who was among the first group of youths freed, greeted his companions in the second group at the airport in tel Aviv on sunday.
he told reporters: ‘I was with two friends who were arrested and they straightaway arrested me too.
‘I know my friends were in the room but I wasn’t. the truth is out. I told myself today finally this nightmare ends.
‘I went through tough days. I was happy to hear they were being set free, I was going crazy at home.’
‘Today this nightmare ends’