A diagram illustrating the teen’s bruising, which was shown in court

The bruising on the body of the British teenager who alleges she was gang-raped in Cyprus leave ‘no doubt’ that she suffered a violent assault, a pathologist has claimed.

The young woman, whose conviction for lying about the alleged attack has sparked widespread outrage, insists she was held down and raped by as many as 12 Israeli boys while on holiday in Ayia Napa.

35 bruises on her legs, arms and buttocks – as well as marks on her eyes and knees – were compiled into a diagram and shown in court by an expert who has seen pictures her body, according to the Mail on Sunday.



Any additional bruising on her torso was missing from the evidence because police did not take pictures of her without her top on.


Pathologist Marios Matsakis, an expert witness for the woman’s defence, criticised the omission and told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I have no doubts that violence was exercised on the body.’

The British woman covers her face as she arrives at the Famagusta courthouse in Paralimni on December 30, 2019 (Picture: Reuters)

He added that the data from the diagram ‘is related to rape’.

But the judge dismissed her evidence and convicted the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, for public mischief.

She could now face up to a year in jail when she is sentenced on Tuesday – which her psychologist warned could make her a suicide risk, the Sunday Times reported.

State pathologist Sophocles Sophocleous had previously told the court that the teen had no marks on her body consistent with serious sexual assault.

He said there were a few light bruises on her thighs and scratches on her leg but that a lot were old and those on her leg were consistent with bumping into furniture.

Activists take part in a demonstration on December 30, after a British woman was found guilty of faking the rape claim (Picture: Reuters)

The British teen, whose mother says she is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, alleged that the incident took place in a budget hotel at the party resort in mid-July.

But after eight-hours of questioning by Cypriot police without a lawyer, she signed a statement retracting her story.

The group of men and teenagers who had been arrested for the alleged attack were immediately released and allowed to fly home.

Her lawyers argue she signed the retraction, which they say is written in broken English, under duress, adding that she felt frightened and intimidated after police allegedly threatened to arrest her friends.

The Foreign Office have expressed ‘serious concerns’ about the ‘deeply distressing’ case, while international condemnation has rained down on Judge Michalis Papathanasiou for his handling of the case.

The teenager spent more than a month in prison before she was granted bail at the end of August, but has not been allowed to leave the island. As well as a year in jail, she could face a € 1,700 (£1,500) fine when she is sentenced.

Her lawyers have asked for a suspended sentence and the family have said they will appeal the ruling – which could lead to a three-year legal fight.



It has been widely reported that the Israeli boys chanted ‘the Brit is a whore’ and popped champagne when they arrived home.

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