With the testimony of a linguist from Great Britain, the defense team of the 19-year-old British woman will try to prove that the voluntary testimony she gave on the 28th of last July was given under pressure and was not written by her.
Today's hearing in which a linguist from the United Kingdom will be examined is scheduled for 11 am in the Famagusta district court and concerns the case in which a 19-year-old British woman is accused of public harm after a false accusation of rape by 12 Israelis.
The previous procedure took place on November 1 in the Larnaca District Court where a videoconference was held in which Dr. testified as a defense witness. Christine Tizzard, Charted Consultant Phychologist, based in Ireland.
Answering questions from defense attorney Ritsa Pekri, the witness said that she specializes in post-traumatic stress and that she spoke with the accused a total of six times on the phone for several hours. He also mentioned that he prepared a psychological report on October 6, consisting of 12 pages for the 19-year-old.
The witness also said that she was aware of the allegations of the accused that she had been raped and that she had committed the criminal offense of public harm, because she lied that she had been raped.
To other questions, the witness replied that "she knew that the accused was taking medication because of the depression she had caused by an accident with her horse two years ago". She added that due to the accident she became depressed and was prescribed antidepressants, that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress and that when someone suffers a shock then the post-traumatic stress can return and their condition worsens.
Asked to explain exactly what post-traumatic stress is, the witness said that it is a neuropsychological disorder that can be caused by any trauma and that due to this large amounts of cortisone and adrenaline are injected into the body.
At this point Ms. Pekri stated that it is the position of the defense that due to the post-traumatic stress suffered by her client, she made her voluntary testimony in which she admitted that she lied that she had been raped by the Israelis.
Asked whether the 19-year-old had told her psychologist that she had been raped by a relative at the age of 14, the witness replied that "I can not remember if she told me. The treatment focused on the issue of the accident she had with her horse "he said and noted that the accused" was constantly in excitement, was confused and due to the post-traumatic stress and the medication she was receiving, it was difficult to remember the events ".
The witness also noted that due to the post-traumatic stress, the 19-year-old's memory was episodic and this was caused due to the large amounts of adrenaline and cortisone that were injected into her body. He also said that the condition of the accused in the last two weeks has seriously deteriorated and that she needs special treatment.
During his interrogation, the representative of the Prosecution Authority, Adamos Demosthenous, asked the witness to find out if she remembered the defendant telling her that she had been raped by a relative when she was 14 years old, with the psychologist answering that mainly “we were talking about the accident she had with the horse ”.
Asked to report whether the accused said she had been raped at the age of 14, the psychologist would erase it from her memory, Dr. Tizzard replied that "we were talking about the accident she had with the horse and various family issues. The reason we did not talk about it was because the accused was in Cyprus and I was in Britain, "he said, adding that he diagnosed that the 19-year-old was suffering from post-traumatic stress and was in serious condition.
Asked to indicate whether she ruled out the possibility that the accused had reported her rape at the age of 14, the witness said that "I do not remember that" and that at that time the accused had hallucinations, heard voices and would be clinically inappropriate. to focus on a specific incident that was not related to me and would make her feel worse ”.
Regarding the telephone communication he had with the accused, the witness said that the first took place at the end of September and since then twice a week, with the last taking place on October 26, during which “she was anxious, terrified, did not know what to do because he heard voices, he saw images that did not exist in reality and he had to sleep for three days ".
To another question, the psychologist answered that she had no reason to dispute what the 19-year-old said, that it was not her job to cross-reference what he told her and that her diagnosis, which she characterized as correct, was based on what the accused told her.
Regarding a specific drug prescribed to the 19-year-old physician in Britain, the witness said that she did not talk to the doctor, because she did not need to do so and expressed the assessment that this drug "was not right and did not help the condition of the accused ”. He also said that the physician diagnosed depression but could not diagnose post-traumatic stress, which can be diagnosed by a clinical psychologist.
She also said that the accused had reported that "she had flash backs and nightmares about her rape".
Asked about the recall of the 19-year-old, the witness replied that “I understood that it was a difficult situation, the accused was anxious, scared and frightened, she was in excitement and panic, she did not remember things, she cried, she reacted irrationally because while she was angry she then laughed "he kept coming and going in the interrogation room and wanted to leave."
To other questions from Mr. Demosthenes, the witness replied that "the accused told me that Marios was intimidated by a police officer" and that "we did not discuss the rape that the 19-year-old may have suffered when she was 14 years old, but a family drama" .
In the submission of Mr. Demosthenes that the accused never suffered from post-traumatic stress, the witness said that "this is untrue, the girl suffered from post-traumatic stress which only the clinical psychologist can diagnose".
In another submission of Adamos Demosthenes that the witness violated all the protocols and made a diagnosis based only on what the accused told her, the psychologist replied that "I did not violate any protocol, all this is nonsense".
Mr. Demosthenous also submitted to the witness that he drew arbitrary conclusions and an opinion, which was wrong, and that he did all this to help the accused escape from the situation in which she found herself. The psychologist replied that “my diagnosis is based on widely accepted criteria, it is correct and it is still correct. I am a professional, I have a reputation in Britain and I swore to tell the truth ".
Then Mrs. Pekri applied for a videoconference with a professor of linguistics based in Manchester, but after an objection raised by Adamos Demosthenous, the President of the Court rejected the request.
At the same time, he set Monday, November 4, as the date for planning the case.