Cyprus trial of Brit accused of making up rape claim starts

The trial of a 19 year-old British woman accused of making up a claim she was raped by a dozen Israelis in a hotel room in Cyprus began Wednesday with defense lawyers suggesting her alleged assailants had planned to commit the crime.

The defendant, accompanied by her mother, covered her face with a sweater as she arrived at the courthouse on the east Mediterranean island nation that's a popular summer holiday destination for millions of foreigners.

She's fighting a public mischief charge in a case that has triggered widespread interest in both the UK and Israel after what was reported as a shocking gang rape turned out to be what Cypriot authorities said were false allegations that the woman voluntarily retracted.

Defense lawyer Nicoletta Charalambidou told the court that some text messages exchanged between the Israeli youth showed them bragging in a "bad and...

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