British teenager jailed in Dubai after 'holiday romance' with 17-year-old girl

An 18-year-old man has been jailed for one year in Dubai for having a sexual relationship with a girl of 17, according to a campaign group.

Marcus Fakana, of Tottenham, London, “feels abandoned by the British government and Keir Starmer”, Detained in Dubai said. Mr Fakana was with his parents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from the end of August when a “holiday romance blossomed” with another Londoner, who has since turned 18, the campaign group previously revealed.

It is alleged that, after returning to the UK and seeing pictures and chats, the girl’s mother reported the relationship to Dubai police, who then arrested Mr Fakana at his hotel.

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Radha Stirling, Detained in Dubai’s chief executive, said the sentence subsequently handed down to Mr Fakana was an “utter disgrace” and “an embarrassment to Britain”, adding that “the UK has prioritised trade deals over people’s lives”.

In a statement posted on social media, she added: “The UK was once the most diplomatically influential Western country in the Middle East. Now, we are seeing countries like Canada, Malaysia, Ireland and the US leaving the UK way behind.

“The Labour government should be ashamed they have not secured the freedom of a teenage tourist. It wasn’t a difficult job.”

Ms Stirling said Mr Fakana, who has been held in Dubai since September, will appeal against his sentence and was “desperately hoping to come home this week”.

In Dubai, if an adult has a sexual relationship with a person under 18, they can be prosecuted for having a sexual relationship with a minor. Mr Fakana's family have issued a plea to the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to spare him.

Ms Stirling added: “I urge young people and parents to reconsider holidays in Dubai, where so many people find themselves at risk of unfair and lengthy detention in prisons notorious for human rights abuses and torture. Holidaymakers should book elsewhere until Marcus is free.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been approached for comment.