Brit ‘gang-raped in Ayia Napa hotel’ bravely picks out ‘attackers & accomplice who tried to clean up blood with sheets’
A BRITISH woman who was allegedly gang-raped by five tourists in Ayia Napa has bravely identified her attackers.
The victim, 20, was "highly distressed" as she picked out the five male suspects, including accomplices who "tried to clean up blood with sheets".
The tourist, from the UK, identified the five men just days after the horror incident took place at the Fedrania Gardens hotel in Ayia Napa.
Two of the men are believed to have worked as accomplices as they tried to clean blood stains from the floor of the hotel room using bed sheets.
Three of the suspects are understood to be 19, and the other two aged 20.
Police told the Sun they believe more than five men were involved in the incident, after looking at CCTV footage from the hotel.
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“Two were accomplices who tried to hide their [attackers]’ tracks by cleaning up bedding etc in the hotel room,” cops said.
“Of the six one was not immediately arrested because he was on the run.”
Court officials told The Sun that all five Israelis were ordered to be detained in custody for the maximum time possible while cops probe the alleged attack.
They appeared in court in the city of Famagusta this morning, ten days after their arrest.
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One cop said: “We want to keep them in custody.
"We need more time to continue our inquiry. The court hearing is still ongoing because each one [of the suspects] is giving testimony.”
The Brit told cops she was raped multiple times after being “taken by force” to a room at the hotel.
The incident reportedly took place after she met the Israeli men at a DJ pool party hosted at the hotel.
Police investigator Andreas Nikolettis told the court today that the victim said one of the men tried to remove her swimsuit as she begged him to let her leave, before the other suspects came into the room.
One reportedly raped the woman and another forced her to perform oral sex while two others held her down.
She said one of the Israeli men also held her up against the wall as he raped her.
After escaping the room, the tourist found her friends and together they reported the rape to police, .
The investigator said that the suspects were found trying to clean blood stains off the floor of the hotel room using bed sheets.
At some point, she managed to lock herself in the bathroom and began shouting for help.
The Israeli men, who were remanded in custody last week, previously denied raping the woman at her hotel in the Cyprus party resort on September 3.
But today two of the suspects admitted to having sex with her, although they denied rape and insisted it was consensual.
The remaining three denied having sex with her.
All five of the suspects will be now be detained for another six days on the island.
The judge said there is "reasonable suspicion"; that the five men could be implicated in the case, and that cops will gather more evidence while they are detained, including footage from their phones.
Lawyers representing the suspects said two of them were not in the courtroom today as they recover from Covid in isolation.
The woman, who has since returned to the UK, stayed on at the party resort despite being “incredibly upset” because she was so determined to see justice done.
Michael Polak, the lawyer representing her, told The Sun “This is obviously a very difficult time for her and her family but she is determined to see justice done.
“She is cooperating fully with the police in Cyprus and she will return to the island for the trial hearing."
A court insider added "The fact that they have requested extra remand time says it all.
"After the last gang-rape case [involving a Derbyshire student] they don't want to get it wrong and are leaving no stone unturned."
A source close to the case previously said: “Police believe there were a lot more than five present. The search is on as part of a wider probe which makes this case even more serious and disturbing.”
The Israeli men were arrested on the day the nation’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived for a high-profile two-day visit to Cyprus with wife Sara.
A Cyprus source told The Sun: “The nationality of the accused has provoked a degree of sensitivity from authorities - and the timing could not be worse.
“Netanyahu arrived on Sunday as the woman was accusing five Israelis of rape.”
The arrests came four years after a notorious case in which a British holidaymaker was thrown in jail after she was accused of making up rape claims.
The then 18-year-old from Derbyshire flew out to Ayia Napa for a summer of fun after finishing her A levels in 2019.
During her stay, she struck up a holiday romance with a 21-year-old Israeli lad.
But while together in his hotel room one night that July, she claimed a group of his friends forced their way in and took turns raping her.
The alleged victim reported the assault to police and 12 Israelis were later arrested. They all claimed the sex was consensual.
But the ordeal took a turn when, after eight hours of being quizzed by cops and being denied a lawyer, the teen was branded a liar.
Police dictated a statement retracting her story - ordering her to sign it as her alleged attackers went free.
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Charged with causing public mischief, the youngster was then thrown into a cockroach-infested jail for five weeks, followed by a series of court appearances.
After not being believed by the judge, she was handed a four-month suspended sentence in January 2020, finally allowing her to leave the island after almost six months.