“The five attackers of the British gang-raped woman were caught trying to clean blood from the hotel room floor after her sexual assault,” Cyprus police say as court hears harrowing new details of the attack.
Five men accused of gang-raping a British woman were caught trying to clean blood from the floor with sheets following the horrific attack, Cyprus police said.
The alleged victim, 20, accused the group of Israeli men of gang-raping her in a hotel room during a pool party at the Ayia Napa holiday resort, with hnew details of the ordeal emerging in court today.
Police investigator Andreas Nikolettis told the court that the 20-year-old woman said one of the five men had “forcibly” taken her to her room after grabbing her by the hand while she was partying with friends around the pool. from the hotel on September 3.
The Israeli then tried to take off her swimsuit while she begged him to let her out, she said, before the other suspects entered the room.
One had sexual relations with the woman against her will and another forced her to perform oral sex on him while two others held her on the bed.
The police van carrying Israeli men accused of raping a British woman arrives at the Famagusta district court on Tuesday.
She said a suspect also held her against the wall and had sex with her.
At some point, he managed to lock himself in the bathroom and began screaming for help.
She managed to flee the room by pushing the suspects aside and reunited with her friends who went with her to report the rape to the police.
MailOnline revealed last week that the incident took place at the three-star Fedrania Gardens hotel after the girl was invited to a party there while staying elsewhere.
Nikolettis said the woman, who was in a “bad psychological state,” identified the five suspects in a lineup.
The police immediately went to arrest the five suspects after the woman’s “concise and detailed” complaint and spoke with her friends.
According to the investigator, the suspects were found trying to clean blood stains on the hotel room floor with sheets.
A friend of the woman had told investigators that he saw her leaving the pool area with one of the Israelis, but did not see the suspect using any force.
Two of the suspects admitted to having sexual intercourse and oral sex with the woman, but insisted it was consensual and denied committing rape. The other three said they did not have sexual contact with the woman.
A court on the island has now extended the detention of the five men, three aged 19 and the other two aged 20, for another six days.
Ayia Napa is popular with young tourists from all over Europe who enjoy the resort’s multitude of clubs, bars, white sand beaches and lively nightlife.
Famagusta District Court Judge Petros Theophilou ruled that there is a “reasonable suspicion” that Israeli citizens may be involved in the case and they must remain detained until the police can complete the collection of more evidence, including review of their cell phones looking for videos or images related to the incident.
Yiannis Habaris, lawyer for three of the accused
Yiannis Habaris, a lawyer for three of the defendants and lawyers from the Gabriel Kaimakliotis law firm representing the other two, said they had no objections to the renewal of the pretrial detention.
Two of the suspects were not present in the courtroom because they were in isolation recovering from COVID-19, the attorneys said.
There were no CCTV facilities in the hotel.
About a dozen friends and family of the suspects were present in the courtroom during the hearing.
Ayia Napa is popular with young tourists from all over Europe who enjoy the resort’s multitude of clubs, bars, white sand beaches and lively nightlife.
