The trial of a British teenager who went from being victim to accused in a gang rape case in Cyprus started on Wednesday, with her lawyers revealing she is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The 19-year-old appeared in court in Paralimni, close to the party town of Ayia Napa where she says she was gang raped by a group of Israeli youths in July.

Ten days later, she issued a retraction – which her lawyers say was made under extreme duress - and is now on trial for the charge of causing "public mischief."

If convicted, she could spend a year in prison.

She spent more than a month in a Cypriot jail before being bailed in August but had her passport confiscated and has had to report to a police station on the island three times a week.

The Israelis were swiftly freed after the rape allegations were dropped and immediately returned home.

Her lawyers say the retraction was made under intense pressure from police after the teenager was questioned for hours, at night, without a lawyer.