A MOTHER today spoke of her outrage after the man accused of raping her daughter in Cyprus was jailed for three years for a lesser charge.

The 22-year-old holidaymaker from Clitheroe was attacked in the seaside resort of Ayia Napa on September 16 and a local diver was arrested by police.

But a Cypriot court dropped the sex offence after hearing that the state pathologist who backed the charge had been replaced by colleague who disagreed.

The 26-year-old man was sentenced today for assault and battery and causing grievous bodily harm.

But the victim's parents said they were outraged by the decision. The woman's mother said: "Three years is nothing for what he has done to my daughter. We were told that they couldn't prosecute him for rape because their was no evidence of semen but he has violated my daughter's body in other ways and she has horrific physical injuries as a result.

"To us that is rape and he should have been prosecuted for that."

The court heard detailed accounts of how 26-year-old Zinonas Mastrou physically abused the tourist in Ayia Napa.

The court was told that the two had left a club together, both having been drinking, at around 4am. The same day, around noon, the girl was found naked and seriously injured in Sotira village.

The woman had multiple wounds and needed stitches and two operations.

According to state pathologist, Panicos Stavrianos, the physical injuries she suffered are likely to remain with her for the rest of her life.

Mastrou was initially arrested on a charge of rape which he denied. Once that was dropped, he pleaded guilty to the charge of grievous bodily harm.

Mastrou's lawyer George Georgiou, argued that his client and the victim were both intoxicated and Mastrou did not have full control of his actions.

He claimed the tourist had led Mastrou on, giving his client the impression of imminent sexual intercourse. But when she backed away, Mastrou became violent and a fight ensued, causing serious harm to the victim, he said.

Mr Georgiou said the initial assessment by state pathologist Eleni Antoniou of rape was rejected by Mr Stavrianos, when he replaced her in the case.

He ended with a plea for leniency, expressing his client's regret and sadness for what happened.