British Teen Jailed in Dubai Over Holiday Romance Sparks International Outrage
British Teen Jailed in Dubai Over Holiday Romance Sparks International Outrage
An 18-year-old British tourist, Marcus Fakana, has been sentenced to a year in prison in Dubai after a holiday romance with a 17-year-old British girl led to his arrest. Fakana, from Tottenham, north London, began the relationship during a family vacation in September.
The girl’s mother discovered their exchanges upon returning to the UK and reported the matter to Dubai authorities. Fakana was arrested at his hotel as sex with anyone under 18 is illegal in the UAE, even if consensual.
Campaign group Detained in Dubai called the sentence “an utter disgrace” and accused prosecutors of mishandling the case, arguing it should have been treated as a minor offense. Fakana, unable to leave Dubai.
Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, revealed that the teenager, Marcus Fakana, will be deported after serving his sentence. She criticized the ruling, arguing that enforcing such laws to this extent is unwarranted.
“A year in jail for consensual relations between two tourists, who were only in the country briefly, is excessive. This punishment is tearing a family apart and destroying a young man’s future,” Stirling told the BBC.
