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Saturday, Feb 22, 2025

Ayia Napa teen begs Boris Johnson 'bring me home' as she faces year in jail

A British teenager who has been found guilty of lying about being gang raped in Ayia Napa has issued a desperate plea to Boris Johnson to get her home.

The 19-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has called on the prime minister to personally intervene with Cypriot authorities as ‘time is running out’.

She said she hasn’t received any personal contact from Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, after her mother today called on the government to ‘show the same commitment’ as in Harry Dunn’s case.

The young woman, who has been held on the island since July and has already spent more than four weeks in detention, is facing up to a year in Cypriot prison.

She told The Sun: ‘Every second of this ordeal has been a waking nightmare. I’m 19 and all I want to do is clear my name and come home to my family.

‘I would say to both the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister, both of whom are fathers, please support me with your actions, not just with your words.

‘Time is running out for me. Please, please help.’

The young woman, from Derbyshire, told local authorities she was gang raped by up to 12 Israeli tourists in a hotel room on July 17, while she was working on the island.

But she said she was forced to withdraw her accusations under pressure from Cypriot police, after enduring nine hours of aggressive questioning with no lawyer present.

She was subsequently arrested and the 12 young men, aged between 15 and 20, who were being held over the incident, were freed.

Lawyers and a psychologist also said she was and still is suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is not receiving medical treatment she needs.

The young woman is set to be sentenced on Tuesday after being found guilty of ‘causing public mischief’ earlier this week.

However, concerns have been raised after Judge Michalis Papathanasiou did not allow the fact of whether she had been raped or not to be discussed during the trial.

Numerous top legal figures in Cyprus have since written to attorney general Costas Clerides urging him to intervene in the case.

Her heartbroken mother added that although her daughter has been grateful for support from the Foreign Office, she said ‘so far the British government has offered words and not action’.

She said she watched how Mr Johnson was prepared to personally discuss the death of British teenager Harry Dunn with President Trump, after he was knocked off his bike by the wife of a US diplomat who fled to the States.

The mother urged for Mr Raab and Mr Johnson to intervene in a similar manner, adding that ‘now is the time for urgency’.

It comes as Shadow Women’s Minister Naz Shah also urged the PM and the foreign secretary to ‘bring our girl home’.

She write in the Mirror: ‘Dominic Raab is saying he is “extremely concerned”.

‘The rest of us are only saying one thing – “bring our girl home”.’

Since the alleged attack her mother said her daughter is struggling with PTSD and hallucinations, and is sleeping for up to 20 hours a day due to a condition called hypersomnia.

The mother said: ‘She needs to get back to the UK to get that treated – that’s my absolute primary focus. She can’t be treated here because hearing foreign men speaking loudly will trigger an episode…

‘It needs resolving otherwise she’s going to carry on having this for the rest of her life.’

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