THE family of a British teenager accused of a false gang rape claim have thanked well-wishers after having to spend Christmas in Cyprus.

They said a friend had given them a villa to stay in and they had a turkey for Christmas dinner.

The family also had Skype to keep in touch with relatives in Britain.

Yesterday the family posted online: "We just wanted to wish you a wonderful Christmas and thank you for supporting our daughter through the traumatic second half of 2019.

"Christmas is a time to be with family and a time for hope. We are making the most of it here in Cyprus.

"A lovely friend has paid for us to spend Christmas in a lovely modern villa, and our friends who own a micro-pub back home have raised money for our Christmas, so we had a big turkey, lots of festive treats and a few small, lightweight gifts for each other.

"We also have contact with our families via Skype/Whatapp."

The girl, 19, who cannot be named, was charged with public mischief because police say she made up claims that a group of 12 Israelis burst into her Ayia Napa hotel room in July and raped her.

She has been forced to put her uni career on hold over the farcical stop-start trial which began in August.

The teen turned from victim to accused after cops said she made up the rape claim when she discovered footage of her having sex had been posted online.

Her defence team say a retraction statement from her was obtained after eight hours of overnight questioning from police while she was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

The men were arrested on July 12 but later all released without charge.

The judge previously ruled he would give his trial verdict today, shattering the family’s hopes of being home for Christmas.

Today, a protest is planned outside the court at Parliament by Cypriot rape campaigners.

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