The lawyer of three of the Israelis who were falsely accused of participating in a gang rape spoke on the Active radio show "Agenda". Mr. Stefanou described the acquittal of his clients and described the dramatic moments that the 12 young people and their families experienced, while he also referred to the possibility that the 19-year-old British woman should be compensated by the Israelis.
Mr. Stefanou referred to the fact that some of the Israelis were beaten by a group of Britons who were staying at the hotel as soon as the news of the rape was heard. The Israelis after the incident hid in their rooms and were terrified and in this situation they were found by the Police who went to arrest them. This fact further strengthened the testimony of the 19-year-old.
As for how the Police arrived at the specific twelve, they asked one of the suspects with whom he spent the previous night and arrested all those he pointed out. The young Israelis and their families felt great indignation at the allegations, according to Mr Stefanou, as well as uncertainty about how the process would unfold.
Uncertainty which increased due to the delay but the investigative work proved to be particularly difficult as it was a double translation. Only last Thursday, the depositions were completed and immediately after, the first five suspects were released while the remaining seven remained in custody because the examination of the telecommunications data and the second interrogation of the 19-year-old had to be completed.
During the second testimony, the contradictions in which the young Briton fell were pointed out and at the same time she was suggested that the testimonies of the 12 were solid since there was no contradiction in what they stated. This fact led the British woman to change her deposition and release the others.
The next steps
According to Ilias Stefanou, a lawyer for three of the Israelis, his clients have not expressed any intention to take legal action at this time. Their first concern was to return to their country. However, according to him, there is not much room for resolving the issue in a civil court since the 19-year-old is not well-off and it is difficult for them to claim compensation.
"My view is that they should not try to claim compensation. "What must be taken into account by the court if the 19-year-old is finally convicted is exactly the consequences that her complaint has brought to the minors themselves and their relatives", says Mr. Stefanou.
Source: philenews / Active