Filenews 31 March 2025
The Permanent Assize Court of Famagusta acquitted all five young Israelis in the notorious case of reporting gang rape in Ayia Napa by a 20-year-old woman in September 2023, which took on international dimensions. The Court rejected the complainant's version, arguing that she had committed contradictions. It is noted that the case was partially heard behind closed doors.
Justifying its decision, the Permanent Assize Court of Famagusta, through a statement, states that it acquitted and acquitted the defendants 1-5 in relation to all the charges they faced and which related to two charges of rape, one count of sexual abuse, one count of coercion to commit intercourse, one count of sexual harassment and one count of kidnapping.
The Court, as it is stated, "stressed from the outset, that despite the fact that the complainant's testimony presented intrinsic weaknesses as regards the issue of the identification and identification of persons by deeds, nevertheless (the Court) bearing in mind that under the circumstances recounted by the complainant, the identification and identification of persons is not unnatural to present some weaknesses, it explained that its credibility would not be mechanically checked with reference to the issue of identification, but by the essence of the events she recounted, stripped of identifications with persons, so that her credibility could be genuinely checked."
According to the Court of Assizes, during the evaluation of the testimony, it emerged that, "the version of the complainant was incoherent and contained many essential contradictions, seen by itself but also compared with other reliable testimony (not coming from the defendants), so that it could not constitute a safe basis for the extraction of findings on disputed issues, such as the issue of consent on which, What happened inside the room in question".
Indicatively, the court notes:
"(a) Her position that she was transferred from the pool (where a party was being held, in the presence of more than 100 people, including a close friend who saw her simply going to the room with a person) to the room by force, was not considered convincing.
(b) During the identification process, she reported to M.K.9 (police officer) that she had sexual intercourse without her will with only one person, while in the testimonies she subsequently gave she claimed that she had such contact with two persons
(c) In her first testimony, she stated that three persons performed sexual acts against her and that the fourth person who entered the room at a later stage did not do anything against her, while she did not even refer to a fifth person, although she recognized five persons as being in the room and as was subsequent she did not attribute any sexual act even to the fifth person
(d) In her second testimony, she attributed sexual acts to five persons, including the two persons who entered the room last and to whom, as mentioned above, she did not attribute any role or any act against her, and in fact to these two persons she attributed specific acts that in her first testimony she attributed to other persons, when the two persons in question were not even in the room.
(e) Her position that during the incident she was shouting in order to be heard and to receive help is refuted by M.K.18 and M.K. 19, residents of the adjacent room, who for reasons explained were judged to be in the room at the critical time and were able to hear someone shouting.
(f) Her position that on two different occasions a person who was inside the room opened the door for further persons to enter, is refuted by the testimony of the receptionist (M.C. 16) who, for reasons explained in the decision, is accepted to have been the one who opened the door at these two stages, so that successive further persons could enter the room.
(f) A contradiction was also found in her testimony in relation to the indisputable testimony of M.K.9 as to the manner in which the identification process was conducted, while more contradictions were also identified in relation to the recognitions she made. Although it was noted by the Court that it is not paradoxical for such contradictions to occur, what intensified the doubts regarding the credibility of the complainant were the completely incomprehensible and erratic explanations that it tried to give in relation to the contradictions presented in its reports, leading the Court to ultimately fail to understand why it made contradictory references in relation to the recognitions.
(g) In addition, along with the above, it was also taken into account that the complainant was, according to the examinations of the State Chemical Laboratory, under the influence of a significant amount of alcohol, as well as class A drugs (MDA and MDMA), however, not to such an extent as to deprive her of the possibility of consent, since as it was her own position from consumption, she felt only a little dizzy".
In conclusion, the court states that the injuries found on her body, "on the one hand it was not possible to determine that they had not preceded the incident and on the other hand it is not excluded that they also appeared during consensual contact".
It is recalled that the 20-year-old British woman reported her gang rape on the evening of Sunday, September 3. In her testimony, she had claimed that while she was at a hotel party, she was approached by a stranger, who began to flirt with her. This person, according to her complaint, grabbed her by the hand and forcibly led her to the room where he was staying with other Israelis.
It is noted that the defendants were represented by the lawyers Paris Loizou, Ilias Stefanou, Maria Neophytou and Dimitris Tsolakidis.
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After the arrest of the 16-year-old for possession of clubs outside the Stelios Kyriakides stadium during Saturday's match between Paphos FC and Omonia, the Police today proceeded to arrest three other young persons, aged 15, 16 and 18. All four face charges of offences related to the Stadium Violence Act, unlawful assembly, impersonation, unlawful carrying of an offensive weapon and possession of dangerous objects.
The incident took place on Saturday afternoon, outside the "Stelios Kyriakidis" stadium in Paphos, during the attendance of fans for the football match between Paphos FC and Omonia Nicosia. According to the Police, information was received that a group of people were in possession of bats. Police officers who were at the stadium for policing purposes spotted a person disposing of two wooden objects under a parked vehicle.
During their approach, the person in question allegedly gave false identity information to the police officers. From further examinations, it was found that it was a 16-year-old, who was arrested on the basis of a court warrant and detained.
Three other people were then identified against whom arrest warrants were issued and executed today.
The Paphos TAE continues its investigations into the case.
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The Paphos District Court today issued eight-day detention orders against the four arrested in connection with the case of the beating of five Pafiakos volleyball players during the Cyprus Cup victory party at a leisure centre in the city on Saturday evening. They are a 24-year-old, a 23-year-old and two 21-year-olds, while arrest warrants have been issued for another wanted person.
Two of the four suspects, represented by lawyer Ilias Satolias, did not object to their detention for eight days, since they themselves had already filed a complaint against the five Pafiakos volleyball players, claiming that they started the incident against them. The other two suspects objected to their detention and the number of days, which was however rejected by the court, imposing eight-day detention orders on all of them.
The five people involved in the beating of the volleyball players come from Paphos and the first police examinations show that the cause of the incident was not fan differences. The volleyball players of Pafiakos complained that while they were having fun, having with them the Cup they won earlier, a group of patrons of the same recreation center asked to lift the cup as well, a request that the players satisfied.
However, the alleged perpetrators of the incident began to exhibit anti-social behaviour, according to the volleyball players, initially refusing to give back the cup and then, after handing it over, they refused to give some bottles of drinks that were inside. The people of the club reacted to this behaviour and things got out of hand with five people attacking players, beating them and sending them to the hospital.
Immediately after the complaint made by the people of Pafiakos, the Paphos Police Directorate acted immediately and in a very short time was able to identify the alleged perpetrators of the incidents. Five arrest warrants were issued, with four of them being executed immediately and investigations being carried out to identify the fifth suspect.
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The Police arrested a 24-year-old man in Limassol for drug possession.
According to a relevant police announcement, during a coordinated operation by members of the YKAN, after evaluating information, 450 grams of cannabis, three grams of cannabis resin and a sum of money were found and confiscated.
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Pafos Live
The Police arrested a 17-year-old yesterday, in order to facilitate investigations into seven investigated cases of burglary and theft.
The seven burglaries were committed between February 7 and 26, 2025, in stores in Ayia Napa.
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Six new arrests were made yesterday by the Police, in connection with the case of mob and other related offences, which were committed last Friday evening, in the area of Agia Fyla, Limassol.
These are five minors and a 19-year-old, against whom testimony emerged in the context of the investigation of the case, on the basis of which court arrest warrants were issued.
Four of the arrested, after being interrogated, were charged in writing and released. The other two were released without charge, pending the completion of the examinations.
With the new arrests, the total number of arrests for this case stands at 19.
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Filenews 1 April 2025
Six new arrests were made yesterday by the Police, in connection with the case of mob and other related offenses, which were committed last Friday evening (28/03/2025), in an area of Agia Fyla, Limassol.
These are five minors and a 19-year-old, against whom testimony emerged in the context of the investigation of the case, on the basis of which court arrest warrants were issued.
Four of the arrested, after being interrogated, were charged in writing and released. The other two were released without charge, pending the completion of the examinations.
With the new arrests, the total number of arrests for this case stands at 19.
The TAE Limassol continues its examinations.
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A conflict between the young communities of Pyrgos and Parekklisia seems to be behind the attack and injury of a minor resident of the community of Pyrgos, in the Limassol district.
According to information from philenews, the conflict between the young people of the two villages has been going on for years, with damages and reprisals being a frequent phenomenon.
In relation to last night's attack against the minor, 15 young residents of Parekklisia went to the courtyard of the church of Pyrgos, where a small group of young people from the community had gathered. There, the two groups clashed, while, according to information, the young men from Parekklisia allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail. The 16-year-old was attacked by 15 people, who beat him with clubs and fists.
The minor was taken to a private hospital, where he was given first aid and then discharged.
Two 19-year-olds and a 17-year-old resident of Parekklisia were arrested for the case. At the same time, testimonies are being taken from various persons with the investigations of the Moni Police Station continuing while videos from closed circuit surveillance of the Pyrgos area are also being examined.
Great controversy for years
Speaking to philenews, the community leader of Pyrgos, Neoklis Christoforou, confirmed the conflict and the ongoing conflict between the young people of the two communities. "This situation has been going on for years, but with last night's incident it reached the impasse," he said.
He noted that almost every day young people from Parekklisia enter the community of Pyrgos, causing problems and damage. In fact, he pointed out that in the last six months, incidents of arson in garbage bins have been recorded, while there are also retaliations from the other side.
The community leader also noted that a week ago he had a meeting with the community leader of the Chapel, in the presence of young people from the community, in order to discuss the issue. "We had been assured that they would not cause any more problems," he stressed, expressing his disappointment at the ongoing tension.
