Nicosia, Cyprus. A photograph shared by researcher Makarios Drousiotis on Thursday, which he said depicts an injury on the arm of the woman nicknamed ‘Sandy’, appears to have been uploaded to the internet years earlier. Internet users later said a reverse image search showed the same photo on a German website in May 2022.
Messages, photo and audio file published
Earlier in the day, Drousiotis published additional material from his archive, including text messages and a photograph showing a gash on an arm.
A message attributed to ‘Sandy’ reads: “From Michalis yesterday. He was out of control, he must be under pressure, or threatened”.
The reference is to former Supreme Court judge Michalakis Christodoulou, whom ‘Sandy’ is said to have accused of raping her years ago. The message was accompanied by an image described as a knife wound.
In a separate message in the same sequence, a communication allegedly attributed to Christodoulou states: “She didn’t talk to anyone. What should I tell you? That I almost slaughtered her?”
An audio file published alongside the messages includes a conversation with journalist Stelios Orphanides in which ‘Sandy’ is heard describing an incident involving a knife. When asked whether she had been stabbed, she said she sustained injuries to her hands and added that she “still has the scars”.
Drousiotis says material was submitted to authorities
Drousiotis said the material is genuine and forms part of more than 130 messages and audio files submitted to the authorities.
Reverse image search result
Later the same day, online users said a reverse image search for the photograph depicting the scar found the same image had appeared on a German website in May 2022.
What do you make of the conflicting claims over the photo’s origin?