An 18-year-old Londoner faces the possibility years in jail after having sex with a 17-year-old British girl he met in Dubai, campaigners say.
Marcus Fakana was with his family in the UAE when a “holiday romance blossomed” with the girl – who’s also from London and now 18.
“We really liked each other but she was secretive with her family because they were strict,” he told the Detained in Dubai group.
“My parents knew about our relationship but she couldn’t tell hers. She had to meet me without telling them it was to see a boy.”
The girl returned home but the pair reportedly hoped to continue the relationship back in the UK.
However, Mr Fakana said police turned up at his family’s hotel and took him into custody without explanation.
He was held for three days and wasn’t allowed to call or speak to his parents, according to Detained in Dubai, which campaigns to help people it says have suffered injustice.
It says Mr Fakana was arrested and charged after the girl’s mother found their chats and pictures back in the UK and called Dubai police.
Dubai is well-known for its strict laws on things such as drugs, alcohol and sex out of marriage – and campaigners claim the teenager from Tottenham could face a 20-year jail sentence.
“Dubai has only recently legalised out-of-wedlock sex for tourists but still hosts a strict Islamic legal system,” said Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai.
“The girl was just a few months younger than Marcus and he didn’t know that at the time. Since his arrest, she has turned 18 and Marcus would not be facing 20 years in jail.
“This is not something Dubai should be prosecuting.”
The same relationship in the UK would not be illegal.
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Mr Fakana and his family are urging Foreign Secretary David Lammy, their MP, to intervene in the case.
The 18-year-old is no longer in a police cell but cannot leave the country and says his family is having to pay £2,000 for Airbnbs until his case is resolved.
“They earn a humble living, my mother is a cleaner and my dad works in a warehouse,” he told Detained in Dubai. “They saved up for this one-off holiday and they have now used all of their savings.”
Earlier this year, an Irish cabin crew member was charged with attempted suicide by Dubai authorities and prevented from leaving the UAE.
The charges were eventually dropped and she was allowed home after politicians and the media highlighted the case.
