Cyprus Supreme Court to Hand Down Appeal Judgment for Teenager Found Guilty of Public Mischief After Reporting Group Rape in Cyprus on Monday 31 January 2022 at Midday
JUSTICE ABROAD
“Here When You Need Us”
Cyprus Supreme Court to Hand Down Appeal Judgment for Teenager Found Guilty of Public Mischief After Reporting Group Rape in Cyprus on Monday 31 January 2022 at Midday
Justice Abroad is assisting the British teenager and her family in their pursuit of justice.
Today the Supreme Court of Cyprus in Nicosia has announced that the decision regarding the appeal will be handed down on Monday 31 January 2022 at Midday.
This follows the submission of a detailed 154-page written skeleton argument by the defence team assembled by Justice Abroad which was expanded upon in oral argument on 16 September 2021.
The team assembled by Justice Abroad comprised of Lewis Power QC, a top barrister from Church Court Chambers at the English Bar of the senior rank of Queen’s Counsel, Cypriot lawyer Nicoletta Charalambidou, an experienced human rights advocate, and Ritsa Pekri, a criminal law expert.
Justice Abroad’s Michael Polak is co-ordinating the appeal against the teenager’s conviction. The main grounds of appeal relied upon by the defence include that the trial judge failed to properly direct himself as to the elements of the offence of public mischief and failed to consider each element of the offence before convicting the teenager, the retraction statement should not have been admitted in the trial proceedings given the circumstances that it was taken, the total dismissal by the trial judge of all defence expert evidence for no good reason, the failure of the trial Court to properly consider the evidence before convicting the appellant, and the Court’s failure to take into account the choice of the prosecuting authority not to adduce evidence to prove what happened on the night of the rape in the hotel room in regard to witness evidence.
Justice Abroad’s Michael Polak stated the following:
‘The decision on Monday is a very important one, not just for the woman involved but also for the recognition of fair trial provisions in Cypriot courts.
It was clear to all watching the trial of our client that guilt had been decided before the trial had begun. Key provisions of both the common law and established European Human Rights Law fair trial provisions were not applied and this formed the basis of the appeal we have brought before the Supreme Court.
We hope that on Monday the Supreme Court will overturn the unjust conviction of our client. If not, we will bring the case to the European Court of Human Rights who has already decided a number of the key arguments we have put forward including in a case involving the Republic of Cyprus.
The teenager, her family, and the legal team would like to convey their thanks to all that have supported the campaign for justice so far and for the generous donations to the Go Fund Me fund (www.gofundme.com/f/Help-Teen-Victim-Get-Justice-In-Cyprus)
Justice Abroad is happy to deal with any enquiries about the case by email Contact@JusticeAbroad.co.uk or phone on +44 (0)203 488 2316
Notes to Editors
Justice Abroad, www.justiceabroad.co.uk has been set up to help those trying to find their way through foreign justice systems with all the associated hurdles that presents. To help such families with these dilemmas and many more, Michael Polak, a barrister with an international practice focussed on the assistance of foreign nationals in trouble around the world set up Justice Abroad.
Lewis Power QC is a barrister who was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1990 and achieved the senior rank of Queen’s Counsel (QC) in 2011. He has a strong reputation for fighting difficult cases at trial and advising and advocating in matters with international and cross-jurisdictional elements.
Nicoletta Charalambidou is human rights lawyer with an expertise on European Union law and with a particular interest in victims and suspects rights in criminal procedures and discrimination in the administration of justice. She is also a member to the Legal Experts Advisory Panel of Fair Trials.