A British woman who alleged she was gang-raped by a group of Israeli teenagers at a hotel has been arrested on suspicion of making a false allegation.
The 19-year-old woman recanted her claim that 12 Israelis gang-raped her at a hotel in Paralimni, Cyprus during questioning, according to news agencies.
The group, aged from 15 to 20, denied the claim.
“As I have argued throughout the process, there was no rape in Cyprus,” said defence lawyer Nir Jeslovich, who represented several of the suspects in court, according to the Jerusalem Post. “The young men who went on a vacation that became a nightmare will go home today, and everyone will return to their homes and families.”
Five of the group were released late last week after no DNA evidence linked them to the alleged attack. The remaining seven were sent home on Sunday.
One law enforcement official told The Associated Press the woman voluntarily recanted during questioning just after midnight, saying there had been sexual contact with the suspects but she wasn’t raped.
The woman allegedly told investigators she filed a rape report because she was “angry and insulted” that several of the men allegedly recorded footage of her having sex with them, the state-run Cyprus News Agency reported.
It’s understood the teenagers were in Ayia Napa partying and celebrating before they are conscripted into the country’s army — a requirement for all Israeli Jewish citizens over the age of 18.
Read the article by Gavin Fernando and Natalie Wolfe in the Geelong Advertiser.