Holiday teen’s rape claim agony
Under-fire Cyprus cops dump case
A teenager who claims she was raped on holiday is fighting to get justice after police in Cyprus refused to investigate.
Police in Scotland are now probing the alleged attack in the holiday resort of Famagusta in the north of the island.
The nursery worker, who was 17 at the time, said she was assaulted by a hotel employee in May last year but police failed to have her examined by a doctor.
The girl, from Midlothian, added the two officers who took her statement could not speak fluent English but she was not offered a translator.
When Cypriot pol ice failed to contact her when she arrived home, she called the British Embassy in Nicosia. Staff told her they had been informed by officers that she didn’t want to pursue the case.
Under international law, because the girl was under 18, Police Scotland are able to launch an investigation.
Her lawyer Michael Polak, of Justice Abroad, said: “This young woman is extremely distressed. All she has ever wanted is justice.
“The teenager reported d the offences to the Cypriot t
TRAINING Alison Eaton and our story last week police and thought that they would proceed with an investigation and prosecution of the perpetrator.
“This is a worrying case involving serious allegations of rape and sexual assault against a teenager. Those who report these types of crimes need to be dealt with professionally and with sensitivity.
“Justice Abroad will be fighting for justice for the Scottish teenager within all available forums.”
The girl, now 18, said she was attacked as she made her way back to her hotel room after being briefly separated from her boyfriend.
Scottish officers have visited the teenager and collected evidence, including her clothing from the night. They also interviewed her boyfriend and took statements from family members she spoke to after the alleged attack.
It comes as the justice system in Cyprus is under intense scrutiny over how it investigates sex crimes.
Last year, a teenager from Derbyshire was given a fourmonth suspended jail sentence and branded a liar after she alleged she was gang raped in Ayia Napa by 12 Israeli men.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab expressed “serious concern” over the case.
Polak, who is advising both women, said: “Once again, how Cyprus deals with allegations of sexual abuse has come under the international spotlight and it is found to be coming up short.”
Last week, we revealed how Scottish rape counsellor Isabelle Kerr and ex-police officer and sexual violence expert Alison Eaton flew to Cyprus for a UK Government-funded project to help train Cypriot officers on how they handle sex crimes. Polak welcomed the move.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Our staff in Cyprus have been in contact with a British woman, offering advice and support, and have also spoken to the Cypriot authorities about her case.”
Cyprus Police did not respond to our request for a comment.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “We received a report of a serious sexual assault on an 18-year-old woman that happened in Cyprus in 2019.
“We are working alongside Cyprus Police and inquiries are ongoing.”