A BRITISH woman who was allegedly gang-raped by five tourists in Ayia Napa is willing to face her attackers in court.
The alleged victim, 20, is prepared to give evidence and see justice done, the Sun has learned.
Having already described in harrowing detail how she was gang-raped, the young woman will bravely take to the stand after the trial of her alleged attackers began in Cyprus.
“More than anything she wants justice and she is willing to give evidence about what took place,” said her lawyer Michael Pollak, who heads the London-based legal aid group, Justice Abroad.
“She is determined that no one suffers in the same way.”
Criminal proceedings began more than three months after the Brit told police she was forcibly dragged into a hotel room in the party resort and raped multiple times.
The five Israelis accused of abducting and gang-raping the tourist were escorted into Famagusta district court on Monday.
They are all residents of the northern Arab town of Majd al-Krum near Acre and have been remanded in custody in Cyprus’ central prison since October.
It came after district court judge Petros Theophilou ruled there was "reasonable suspicion" that the Israeli nationals were involved in the incident on September 2.
In an earlier hearing, the five defendants entered not guilty pleas to rape, sexual assault by penetration, sexual intercourse through violence, rape by compelling sexual penetration, indecent assault against a woman, sexual harassment, and abduction.
Three of the five accepted having sex with the tourist but under police interrogation insisted their actions were “consensual” and rejected accusations of rape.
Proceedings on Monday focused on the defendants’ testimonies.
In September, a female prosecutor read a statement from the woman that described in devastating detail how she was “taken by force” by one of the men.
The woman wrote how he dragged her up from the pool area of the three-star Ferandia Gardens hotel to where the group were staying in a room on the second floor.
There, she said she was pinned down and violently raped.
“They pushed and pulled her by the hair, brought her to their room where she was forcibly undressed and pushed her to the bed,” the prosecutor said.
“Then three others came in. She tried to flee but one of them caught her.”
The blow-by-blow account has been deemed too graphic to publish by The Sun.
The Briton, who is back in the UK, not only reported the attack the same day but picked out and identified her purported assailants in a police line up.
Cypriot police described the alleged victim as being “highly distressed” with one police investigator, Andreas Nikolettis, telling the court she had been in a “bad psychological state".
Police have reported hotel staff found the defendants desperately trying to clean blood from the hotel room’s floor and bed after the tourist reported what had happened.
The key moments before the horrific gang rape of the 20-year-old were also captured on CCTV, it has been revealed.
A police spokesperson on Monday said the Famagusta district court had ruled the trial would continue.
“It has started properly now and proceedings have been scheduled for later this week,” Marina Christodoulidou told the Sun. “They will go on for as long as it takes.”
Given the number of alleged assailants it is likely the court hearing will run into the New Year, court insiders said.
“The alleged victim is likely to take the stand in January,” one told the Sun.
The accused have employed prominent lawyers from Israel, including Nir Yaslovitz who defended three of the 12 men and boys ultimately found guilty of raping an 18-year-old British student in Cyprus four years ago.
In that case the woman, who spent over a month in jail, was accused of “fabricating” the incident.
She was also convicted of causing public mischief by the same court in Famagusta before the conviction was overturned, on appeal, by the Mediterranean island’s supreme court.
Yaslovitz initially reacted to the news of the mens’ arrest saying: “According to the police in Cyprus, there is a serious suspicion but unfortunately we have experience with such cases.
"I hope the truth will come out.”
The 20-year-old is also for her assistance in court.
The fundraiser has been set up by Justice Abroad, headed by her lawyer Mr Pollak, and more than £1,500 has already been raised.
