This girl has had a harrowing time but we are sure justice will be done
This is a landmark case in terms of human rights, the integrity of the prosecution process, the manner in which rape investigations are carried out, the vulnerability of an accused with psychological issues, the legal rights of an accused and the overarching principle of the rule of law.
History has shown that more than any other type of criminal case, those involving sexual abuse and rape are significantly more fraught with problems, predominantly as where the issue of consent is raised, a complainant has to run the gauntlet of having his or her credibility scrutinised and being put through the most traumatic of ordeals in the trial process.
In this case, this young lady, who was aged only 18 years at the date of the incident, has had a most harrowing and distressing experience.
The most interesting twist in this case is that she was allowed to have her phone with her in the police station and the defence, having now interrogated this device, have put before the court crucial text messages and Snapchat evidence which contemporaneously shows, we say, that she was under coercion and that she was telling the truth.
It is for the prosecution, the burden being upon them in this criminal case, to show that the Cypriot police did not act as such when the retraction statement was given. Time will tell as we reach the concluding stages of the trial.
The court process has been long and the wheels of justice appear to be moving at an alarmingly slow pace, but this young girl fights on with the support of her British and Cypriot legal team to clear her name.
We need to be taking steps forward in rape cases rather than steps back. In this case it is apparent that within a short period of time a young girl turned from alleged victim into suspect.
The defence have made representations as to the competence of the investigative process, the preservation of the crime scene, the forensic steps and the collation of evidence in this case.
Of course, the stakes are high in this case, as a criminal conviction can affect a young person’s future in many ways.
We are confident that the courts will assess the evidence heard thus far fairly and with scrutiny and that justice will inevitably be done.