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Cyprus Court: British Woman Falsely Accused Israeli Teens of Rape

A court in the town of Paralimni, Cyprus on Monday convicted a British woman of public mischief after finding she had lied when she claimed to have been gang-raped by 12 Israeli teens, ages 15-18, at the holiday resort of Ayia Napa in July. The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was aged 19 at the time she made the accusation. After withdrawing the initial accusation 10 days after making it, she was arrested by police. She is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7. She could get a fine, a jail term of up to one year, or both. She claims to have withdrawn her original complaint against the teens under duress and without a lawyer present. The court dismissed this claim. The presiding judge said in his verdict that “the guilt of the accused has been proved beyond reasonable doubt.” Her lawyers said she would appeal, claimed that her right to a fair trial had violated, and asked the court to be lenient in its sentence.