A British teenager has been jailed in Dubai for having sex with a 17-year-old girl while the pair were on holiday.
Marcus Fakana, an 18-year-old from Tottenham in north London, was on a trip with his parents when he struck up a holiday romance with the girl, who was staying at the same hotel.
Upon finding out about the relationship, the unnamed girl’s mother reported Mr Fakana to Dubai police and he was arrested.
On Wednesday, he was sentenced to one year in a Dubai prison his lawyers claim is “notorious for human rights abuses and torture”.
His family have issued a plea directly to Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum to spare Mr Fakana a prison term over the sexual encounter, which would be legal in the UK.
His representative Radha Stirling, from Detained in Dubai, branded the sentence an “utter disgrace” and said Mr Fakana would appeal.
In a statement, she said: “He was desperately hoping to come home this week but prosecutorial mishandling in the first stages of the case meant it wasn’t heard as a misdemeanour when it should have been.
Calling on a boycott of the nation, she 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. There is so much public support for Marcus. They want to see him home and a year in prison is not only unreasonable, it’s an utter disgrace.”
Ms Stirling, a veteran expert witness in extradition cases involving the United Arab Emirates, said that the British government had abandoned the teenager, singling out Sir Keir Starmer who had spent the weekend in the Gulf state.
She added: “The UK has prioritised trade deals over people’s lives. This is truly abhorrent. David Lammy and Keir Starmer have failed Marcus.
“This is an embarrassment to Britain. The Labour government should be ashamed they have not secured the freedom of a teenage tourist. It wasn’t a difficult job.”
Mr Fakana claims he was unaware the girl, who is also from London and has since turned 18, was months younger than him when they first met.
Under UAE law, the girl is legally classified as a minor and her mother, being the legal guardian, filed the complaint.
An Emirati government spokesman said: “Dubai’s legal system is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring impartial judicial proceedings.”
Dubai has only recently made sex out of marriage legal for tourists but the country still has a strict Islamic legal system in place. In the UK, the pair’s relationship would be legal.
Mr Fakana, who is said to have been “overwhelmed” by supporters in the UK, previously told Detained in Dubai: “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.
“When she left, I couldn’t wait to see her again when I got home. Then suddenly, police knocked on our hotel door. 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.”
His family have set up a GoFundMe to raise money for Mr Fakana’s legal costs, explaining they went to the UAE to celebrate his father’s birthday.
Mr Fakana and his family have urged the foreign secretary David Lammy, their MP in Tottenham, to intervene in the case.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting a British man in the UAE and are in contact with his family.”
