Brit teen jailed in Dubai begs forgiveness after sleeping with 17-year-old girl on hols

Marcus Fakana, 18, was on holiday with his family in the UAE when he met and had sex with a 17-year-old British girl - and now faces a year behind bars in a maximum-security jail

A British teenager who has been jailed in Dubai after having sex with a woman a year younger than him has begged for forgiveness, saying: "Please give me my life back."

In a plea to the ruler of Dubai, Marcus Fakana, 18, told MailOnline: "Today I was sentenced to one year in Dubai prison. My family and I are devastated and in shock. I never intended to break the law. It didn’t occur to me at the time and for that, I’m sorry. I am asking His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum to please forgive me and pardon me. Let me go home. Please give me my life back”.

The teenager was on holiday with family in the UAE when he met and had sex with the a 17-year-old Brit, who has since turned 18. While not conisdered a crime in the UK, under strict UAE law, only tourists aged over 18 are legally allowed to sleep together. Fakana now faces a year behind bars in a maximum-security jail.

He is currenly out on bail while his lawyer prepares an appeal against the sentence. The construction apprentice, from London, was arrested in August after the mother of the girl he slept with filed a complaint to the Dubai authorities when she went through her daughter's phone and found out they had been sleeping together.

The mum was reportedly back in the UK when she made the allegation. A representative for the prosecutor said in a statement: "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. Dubai's legal system is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring impartial judicial proceedings."

Marcus has previously told said the couple planned to see each other when they got home. He said: "We had a wonderful time together. We really liked each other but she was secretive with her family because they were strict.

"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. They said they were taking me in for questioning but wouldn't tell me why. I couldn't imagine what for. I was frightened and my parents were terrified."

Radha Stirling, the founder and chief executive of pressure group Detained in Dubai, said: "Marcus is 18 years old, but faces the demise of his entire life for being intimate with someone in his same school year, who is his same age.

"This is where Dubai authorities need to be intelligent about their application of the law. Marcus had consensual relations with someone his own age, from his own country while on a short holiday. He does not deserve to be locked up in Dubai Central Prison for a fling."

"He never imagined that he would be going to jail for a holiday romance with a girl who was a few months younger, but is now the same age. It is just shocking. His life is being ruined."