Raped in Cyprus then ignored by the police. I simply want justice
Teenager says cops failed to take action
Gordon Blackstock A teenager who alleges Cypriot police failed to investigate her rape claim has demanded justice.
The holidaymaker says she was attacked by a hotel worker in Famagusta, Cyprus.
However, officers failed to act on a statement she gave them about the alleged assault.
The childcare worker has told how she has been left “shocked” and “frustrated” by the police force’s claims she did not make a formal complaint.
The 18-year-old, who lives in Midlothian, contacted Police Scotland in the hope that they could investigate. They have passed evidence and statements to their counterparts on the Mediterranean island.
She said: “I simply want justice for what happened to me.
“It’s extremely frustrating that after the Scottish police have acted properly and provided this evidence it seems like the
Cypriot police are refusing to consider this case.
“When I went to Cyprus, I couldn’t imagine something terrible like this happening.”
The teen only discovered her claim was not being investigated when she cal led the High Commission in Nicosia for an update on the case.
The alleged victim was on holiday with her boyfriend last May when she claims the assault happened.
She added: “When I spoke to the Cypriot police after the attack, I believed that they would be investigating.
“They took my details and said they would contact me.
“When they didn’t, I got in touch with the High Commission to check what was happening. I was shocked to learn that the
Cypriot police were saying the case was not going ahead.”
Cyprus police insisted the teenager refused to make the claim she was attacked official.
A police spokesperson said: “According to investigators, the 17- year- old girl went to the police station in May 2019. But she didn’t make a formal complaint to the police.”
The teenager is being advised by lawyer Michael Polak, of pressure group Justice Abroad.
He said: “We hope in this case that Cyprus police will consider the evidence properly collected by the Scottish officers so the teenager has a chance at justice.”
Last year a teenager from Derbyshire was g iven a four- month suspended jai l sentence and branded a liar after she alleged she was gang-raped in Ayia Napa by 12 Israeli men.
It led to an international outcry and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab expressed “serious concern” over the case.
Police Scotland said: “We received a report of a serious sexual assault on an 18-year-old woman in Cyprus in 2019. Officers obtained information, including relevant statements and available evidence. We passed the information via Interpol to the Cypriot authorities.”
The Foreign Office said: “Our staff in Cyprus have been in contact with a British woman, offering advice and support, and have spoken to Cypriot authorities about her case.”
They took my details and said they would contact me