A 20-year-old man was found guilty on Thursday by the Famagusta criminal court of attempted murder and rape of a 26-year-old woman at a hotel in the district in August 2024.

The court ruled that the defendant attempted to kill the woman, raped her while she was unconscious and abandoned her believing she was dead.

Sentencing will take place at a later hearing.

According to the court’s findings, the pair met at a nightclub before going to the hotel where the woman was staying.

After she refused to consent to full sexual intercourse, the defendant launched what the court described as “a particularly violent attack” before raping her.

The woman was admitted to the intensive care unit for 48 hours before being declared out of danger and remained in hospital for several more days.

The conviction was based on the complainant’s testimony, supported by forensic evidence, DNA findings, independent witness testimony and CCTV footage, with the court rejecting the defendant’s account as unreliable.