The Daily Populous Monday July 7th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by bbc.com and submitted by bendubberley_

Teen jailed in Dubai over sex with girl, 17, freed

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Detained in Dubai Marcus Fakana began a one-year jail sentence in December after a "holiday romance" last summer

A British teenager jailed in Dubai for having sex with a 17-year-old girl has been released and is back in the UK. Marcus Fakana, now aged 19, was sentenced in December to a year's imprisonment after a consensual relationship with the girl, who is also British, while on holiday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The age of consent in the country is 18. The girl's mother reported Fakana to the UAE authorities after seeing messages between the two when she had returned to the UK. Fakhana, from Tottenham in north London, has received a royal pardon from Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, campaign group Detained in Dubai has said.

The group's Radha Stirling, who has been in touch with Fakana's family, told BBC Newsbeat: "He's overwhelmed. It's always very difficult when someone's suddenly released after six months. "For a young man - a boy, really, as I would see him... It's just unfathomable for most people how long it would take to recover from such a situation. "He was absolutely very nervous, of course, and his whole family too. But I mean, once you've been told 'buy that plane ticket', there's obviously a sense of relief at that point. His family is just over the moon to have him back early." Fakana was with his parents in the UAE from the end of August when a "holiday romance blossomed" with another Londoner, who has since turned 18, the campaign group previously said.

Ms Stirling added: "I think the law saying that an 18-year-old can't engage in relations with someone who's just a few weeks younger than him is quite strict and perhaps shouldn't be applied to tourists. "Furthermore, Marcus didn't know that she was under 18; they were in the same school year and it seems fair and reasonable that he assumed her to be 18 as well. So I think again under those circumstances he shouldn't have been prosecuted." Ms Stirling warned in a separate statement: "Parents need to be aware that teens can be charged in the UAE for behaviour that would not be considered criminal at home, whether that's a relationship, social media activity, or even drinking alcohol."

The Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office said it had supported Fakana who was "released on an Eid pardon last week", adding that he had wanted to return to his family in the UK without media attention. An Eid pardon can be given by the monarch or president of a Muslim nation as a gesture of compassion and a way to offer individuals a second chance.

Fakana wrote to the sheikh last month from Al Awir Prison asking to be released. The government of Dubai previously said: "Under UAE law, the girl is legally classified as a minor and, in accordance with procedures recognised internationally, her mother - being the legal guardian - filed the complaint." It added: "Dubai's legal system is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring impartial judicial proceedings."

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abmiram on July 7th, 2025 at 15:18 UTC »

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SockAlarmed6707 on July 7th, 2025 at 13:28 UTC »

A few weeks before turning 18 still 6 months before a pardon damn that mom’s a bitch.

Account_Eliminator on July 7th, 2025 at 13:27 UTC »

The lad's young life being tragically ruined aside, I hope the girl isn't feeling too guilty herself, as it was her mother that saw the messages on her phone and reported him.

But I do hope her mother is, she not only ruined this lad's life for the forseeable future, she also ruined her daughter's too - as she will now associate one of her first romantic experiences with immense feelings of guilt. That's something you never get over.

A supreme act of stupidity and spite to report him to a strict Arab country like that.

I hope she feels shame and regret for what she did.