British young woman returning to rape and imprisonment in Cyprus: "I wanted to die"

In an interview with the Sun newspaper, the 19-year-old from her home in northern England told of the half-year held on the island, and was eventually convicted of public harassment. "They were like a band of wolves, I tried to fight them and I just couldn't," she described the group rape by Israeli boys. She now struggles to purify her name: "I told the truth"

British young woman returning to rape and imprisonment in Cyprus: "I wanted to die"

The British woman who was convicted in Cyprus of harassing the public after claiming to have been raped by a group of Israeli boys in Ayia Napa, told an interview with the Sun newspaper about the half year on the island from her arrest to her release. "I wanted to die," the 19-year-old said.

In an interview that repeated how one of the assailants pinned her tightly to a bed in the hotel while his friends "waited in line" to rape her. "I don't know how many of the 12 were raped. You can't count," she described. "They waited excitedly, spoke and shouted in Hebrew. I tried to fight them but I just couldn't. They were like a live band - a wolf band."

Now, back at her home in Derbyshire, the young woman explained how police officers in Cyprus forced her to sign a "confession" according to which she had group rape. For six months, the trial went on in her case while she remained in prison. After her conviction, he appealed the decision. "I told the truth," the British clarified. "The fight is just beginning."

British young woman and mother in court in Cyprus (Photo: Yoav Itiel)

Sentencing to British rape case in Cyprus, feminist demonstration in court, December 30, 2019 (Photo: Yoav Itiel)

In July, after a few days of celebrations in Ayia Napa, she and five of her friends were drinking in the hotel room when a group of 20 Israelis approached them. She later had sex with one of them, nicknamed "Sam" and described it as "a normal freedom affair." At 2:45 she agreed to return with him to the hotel room which he shared with four other Israelis.

"I knew he was leaving the next day so we started kissing," she repeated. "After five minutes, I heard the door of the room open and turned. He grabbed me and threw me on the bed. He pressed my shoulders as he knelt over them - he was firmly built and strong - I couldn't move. Under his knees, I turned and saw the light from the door. Because at that point I was really stressed. The others, there were 12 of them, came to bed. Some grabbed my ankles, some held my knees and tore my clothes. Every time I closed my legs Sam got really angry. At one point he grabbed one of my knees. Himself and they did it in turns. "

From rape complaint to conviction: After six months in Cyprus, the British returned home