A British woman raped on holiday in Crete has criticised local police after they charged her father with the attack.
The 33-year-old accused authorities of allowing her rapist to “roam free” after her father appeared in court in the capital Heraklion on Tuesday. He reportedly pleaded not guity to charges of rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence after he was arrested on Saturday.
Police claim the man made lewd gestures towards his daughter in a bar last week and hit her before raping her on a beach.
But the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, says her father was in their hotel at the time and she is “100 per cent convinced” CCTV evidence and DNA will prove his innocence.
“I can tell you 100 per cent that he did not rape me,” she told Mail Online. “I live with my dad in the UK, I was on holiday with him in Greece and he’s the best dad in the world.
“There is no way he would do something so disgusting. I’ve told the Greek police this, but they are just ignoring me.
“This is an incredibly stressful, traumatic situation but there is hope for us. We’ve been told by the judge that if my dad’s DNA test clears him, then he will be free to go.”
After reporting the 9 June attack to the police, medical examiners told local newspaper Neakriti the woman was “covered” in injuries that were consistent with stones and branches found on the beach.
They added that she also had injuries consistent with rape, and that DNA samples have been collected.
In her complaint to police, the woman claimed that an unknown man stopped and raped her in the early hours in a narrow street close to a bar where she had been drinking with her father earlier.
The woman has given police a description of the attacker but claim police ‘haven’t done anything to find him as they believe it’s up to her father to prove his innocence’.
The accused was remanded in custody, with a trial reportedly set to take place within the next 18 months.
