A BRITISH woman convicted of making false gang rape claims in Cyprus has won a major victory before the European Court of Human Rights.

Judges ruled that authorities in Cyprus failed to properly investigate alleged rape claims made by the Briton, a teenager at the time.

The court found “the Cypriot authorities failed in their obligation to effectively investigate the applicant’s complaint of rape and to adopt a victim‑sensitive approach when doing so”.

It awarded the woman £16,000 in damages and £4,000 in costs.

The woman, who is currently enrolled as a student at a university in the UK, has never been publicly named.

She originally reported to the police that she was gang raped by 12 Israeli men, but was soon branded a liar.

She was treated as a suspect, forced to retract her claims by police and given a four-month suspended prison term after being found guilty of fabricating the rape allegations.

It all began in 2019 when the then 18-year-old from Derbyshire flew out to Ayia Napa for a summer of fun after finishing her A levels.

During her stay, she struck up a holiday romance with a 21-year-old Israeli lad.

But when they were together in his hotel room one night that July, she claimed a group of his friends forced their way in and took turns raping her.

The victim, who cannot be named in the UK for legal reasons, reported the assault to police.

Cops in Cyprus initially arrested 12 Israelis who all maintained it was consensual.

However, after eight hours of being quizzed by cops and being denied a lawyer, the teen was branded a liar.

Terrified and unable to speak to family or friends, she was then forced to sign a ”confession” admitting she had made up the allegations. ,

She immediately retracted it – although by now it was too late and she was charged.

After the retraction, she was tried and convicted of causing public mischief and given a suspended four-month sentence.

Lawyers immediately announced they would appeal, insisting her human rights had been breached during lengthy questioning with no translator, water or sleep breaks.

However, the decision was overturned in 2022 by the country’s supreme court on the grounds that the original conviction for public mischief was unsafe.

She was finally cleared of lying about being raped.

However, the Attorney General of Cyprus’ decision to refuse to order a new investigation in the case was then appealed European Court of Human Rights.

Michael Polak from Justice Abroad, which has represented the woman, through the process, said: “This is a landmark decision for victims of sexual violence.

“The ruling reinforces the fundamental principle that allegations of sexual violence must be investigated thoroughly and fairly, without institutional obstruction.

“By holding that Cyprus was in breach of the rights of our client, we hope that the court’s decision will cause the Attorney General of the Republic of Cyprus to reconsider his decision and order a proper investigation using outside investigators.

“A proper framework for the investigation and prosecution of sexual offences needs to be developed urgently in Cyprus.

“Our client has shown immense resilience in her pursuit of justice, and we hope this outcome will empower others to speak out against such offences and demand accountability from authorities.”

‘PACK OF WOLVES’

In her first full interview since being freed to return to the UK, she told The Sun how she was allegedly attacked by 12 Israelis who fell on her like a “pack of wolves”.

In horrific detail, she recalls one of her attackers used his knees to pin down her shoulders on a grimy bed as his friends “lined up” to rape her.

The brave victim, who was eventually given a suspended sentence, said: “I thought if I don’t get out of here now, I’m going to die.

“I don’t know how many of the 12 raped me. You don’t count, you couldn’t count.

“They were lining up, excited, talking and shouting in Hebrew. I was trying to fight them off but I just couldn’t.

“They were like a pack of ­animals — a pack of wolves.”

Describing it as “a normal holiday romance”, the teen recalled how it later turned sinister after she hooked up with Israeli footballer Shimon Yusufov, then 19.

The girl said: “I knew he was leaving the next day so we started kissing. About five minutes later, I heard the sound of the room door opening and turned around.

“He grabbed me and threw me on the bed.

“He pinned my shoulders down by kneeling on them — he was well-built, strong — I couldn’t move. From under his knees, I turned and saw the light growing from the doorway.

“I was flailing around, trying to move and cross my legs because I was now really panicking.

“The others, there were 12 of them, came over to the bed.

“Some of them grabbed my ankles, some held down my knees and they ripped my bodysuit.

“I was trying to cross my legs all the time and every time I did, Sam would get angry. He grabbed one of my knees himself at one point. Then they took it in turns.”