A British woman has been given a four-month suspended sentence after being found guilty of lying about being raped by a group of young Israelis in Cyprus.
The 19-year-old hugged her family and left court weeping after she was sentenced for public mischief.
Her sentence was suspended for three years, and she has been ordered to pay €148 (£125) in legal fees. She now plans to return to the UK.
Women’s rights groups protested outside court ahead of the sentencing.
The BBC said the puffy-eyed teenager embraced her mother as chants of “We believe you,” and “No means no,” filtered into the courtroom from the protest outside.
Supporters from Cyprus and a group of 50 women who travelled from Israel gathered outside the Famagusta District Court yesterday holding placards.
The teenager’s mother shouted “she’s coming home” to the group following sentencing, and told reporters she felt “relieved”.
Addressing the crowd, the teenager’s mother said: “I just want to thank each and every one of you for turning up today, having belief, having faith and making sure we get justice.”
In court, Judge Michalis Papathanasiou told the teenager he was giving her a “second chance”.
The 19-year-old was put on trial and convicted in December after recanting a claim that she had been raped by a group of 12 young men in a hotel room in July.
She said Cypriot police had made her falsely confess to lying about the incident – something police have denied.
The woman’s lawyer, Lewis Power QC, said she would be returning to the UK on Tuesday.
He told BBC News the case was “not finished by any means”.
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