He
has been released and returned to the UK, following a royal pardon
issued by the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Marcus Fakana has regained his freedom.
Recall that the British teenager was imprisoned in Dubai after engaging in a consensual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
He has been released and returned to the UK, following a royal
pardon issued by the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum.
Fakana, now 19, had been sentenced in December 2024 to a one-year
jail term after authorities in the United Arab Emirates, UAE, were
alerted to his relationship with the girl, also British, during a family
holiday last summer.
The girl’s mother, upon discovering private messages between the
pair after returning to the UK, reported him to UAE authorities.
Although the relationship was consensual, UAE law sets the age of
consent at 18.
According to Detained in Dubai, DinD, a legal advocacy group that
supported Fakana throughout his ordeal, he was granted clemency as part
of an Eid pardon, a traditional act of mercy during the Muslim festival
which allows rulers to offer selected prisoners a second chance.
“He’s overwhelmed,” said Radha Stirling, the group’s founder, who has been in contact with Fakana’s family.
“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.”
Describing the family’s emotional roller coaster, Stirling added, “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, from Tottenham in north London, had been in Dubai with his
parents since late August 2024 when, according to Detained in Dubai, a
“holiday romance blossomed” with another London-based teen, who has
since turned 18.
The two were reportedly in the same school year, leading Fakana to believe she was of legal age.
Stirling questioned the prosecution, saying: “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,” she added, “Marcus didn’t know that she
was under 18; they were in the same school year and it seemed 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.”
In a broader warning to families, Stirling cautioned: “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 UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, FCDO,
confirmed its support for Fakana and noted that he was released last
week as part of the Eid pardon.
The FCDO added that he had chosen to return quietly to his family without media fanfare.
OR
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