The family of a British teenager convicted in Dubai for having sex with a 17-year-old girl while on holiday has accused the foreign secretary of an “outrageous” refusal to help them.
Marcus Fakana, 18, was sentenced to a year in prison for having sex with the teenager from London while he was on holiday with his parents in Dubai in August.
The girl who he met while staying at the same hotel was one month short of her 18th birthday, but sex with anyone under 18 is an offence in the Gulf state.
Mr Lammy said Britons should “follow the rules” in other countries and insisted the Foreign Office was unable to interfere in the judicial systems of other nations.
But campaign group Detained in Dubai, which represents Mr Fakana’s family, has accused Mr Lammy of wanting to avoid difficult conversations with the UAE.
Chief executive Radha Stirling said: “If Marcus Fakana spends a single day in prison, it’s on David Lammy. If Marcus were from any other area in the UK, his MP would have lobbied Lammy to enter diplomatic conversations.
“It’s outrageous to remove himself from the case. He clearly did not want to help or have those conversations with the Dubai government.
“He is absolutely fine to see a young British tourist jailed for relations with someone who was one month away from being 18, simply saying you should follow the law.”
Mr Fakana’s family previously issued a plea directly to Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum to spare him a prison term over the sexual encounter, which would be legal in the UK.
In a statement, Ms Stirling 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.”
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.
The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment by The Independent.
