Family of Brit tourist, 18, say he is stuck in a ‘nightmare’ and his mental health is ‘declining’ as he faces 20 years in Dubai prison over fling with 17-year-old UK girl

The family of an 18-year-old Briton facing up to 20 years in prison over a holiday romance have warned his mental health is “declining” as they say they are all stuck in a “nightmare”.

Tottenham’s Marcus Fakana was held in Dubai’s ‘notorious’ Al Barsha police station for days after the ‘strict’ mother of a 17-year-old girl he had sex with on holiday this summer reported him to Dubai authorities.

The couple, who met while staying at the same hotel with their families, ‘had a great time together’, with the girl – also British – meeting in secret because she feared she could not tell her mother that she had a boy. .

But in a devastating turn of events, Marcus – who had been on a family holiday to celebrate his father’s birthday – could end up in a grueling UAE prison for 20 years after the girl’s furious mother learned of the affair and the informed police in Dubai when she returned to Dubai. the United Kingdom.

Although the relationship would have been legal in Britain, a 17-year-old is defined as a child under Dubai law. The girl has now turned 18 years old.

Setting up a GoFundMe page to raise money for legal costs to bring him home, Marcus’ family said: ‘What was meant to be a happy time has turned into a nightmare for him, our family and our friends .

“This happened as a result of someone trying to misuse UAE law against him.

“He is charged with a crime that could carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

Marcus pictured with his family, who hope to raise £20,000 to help cover his legal costs

“He’s only 18 years old, very scared, and his mental health is starting to deteriorate.”

Dubai only recently reformed its laws on sex outside marriage for tourists, but maintains a strict Islamic legal system and has no hard ruling on the age of consent.

But according to local law, a child is defined as a person under the age of 18. The girl was just months away from turning 18 when the couple met in August.

The teens planned to continue their relationship when they returned to London.
But it is understood the mother found out about their relationship when she searched her daughter’s phone and found their chats and photos, later sharing them with Dubai police from the safety of Britain.

Marcus was still on holiday with his family when police suddenly showed up at the hotel and detained him at Al Barsha police station for three days.

He is still in Dubai as he fights the case, and the family hope to raise £20,000 to help with legal fees, accommodation and travel costs to return to Britain.

Lawyer’s fees alone could cost them up to £21,000.

On a previous GoFundMe page set up two months ago, the family claimed Marcus was not given a translator and was forced to sign a confession document he did not understand.

They said: ‘He has been wrongly accused of a crime he did not commit and is now embroiled in a legal battle in Dubai.

“This is not just a misunderstanding, it is racial discrimination, where someone is trying to use UAE law against them.

‘During his arrest, he was denied access to a translator and was forced to sign a confession document that he did not understand. He is only 18 years old, terrified and very scared.

‘His mental health is rapidly deteriorating.’

Speaking to British aid charity Detained in Dubai, Marcus told how the couple planned to see each other when they got home.

Marcus said: ‘We had a great time together. We really loved 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 me it was a boy.

‘When she left, I couldn’t wait to see her again when I got home. Then suddenly the police knocked on the door of our hotel.

The 18-year-old was held in a notorious Dubai police station after the mother of a then 17-year-old girl he had a holiday romance with reported him to authorities

‘They said they were taking me for questioning, but wouldn’t tell me why. I couldn’t imagine what for. I was scared and my parents were terrified.”

The pair had tried to spend as much time together abroad as possible, and hoped to get to know each other better when they returned to London.

The girl left Dubai first and they agreed to meet.

‘He [Marcus] was told that his girlfriend’s mother had reported the relationship to authorities in Dubai after arriving back in London,” said Radha Stirling, CEO of Trapped in Dubai and human rights lawyer.

The organization provides confidential legal assistance to people facing civil and criminal legal issues in the UAE.

“This is clearly a very strict mother to involve the police in a private matter that is perfectly legal in the country where she lives and where the children grew up,” Ms Stirling warned.

“Perhaps she was unaware that she was fueling the possibility that a young man as young as 18 would spend the next 20 years in prison.”

‘My mother is a cleaning lady and my father works in a warehouse. They have been saving for this once-in-a-lifetime holiday and have now used up all their savings,” Marcus explains.

“The police demanded AED 10,000 as bail, which I was told is not normal and costs are mounting. I’m all alone here. I pray that this nightmare will be over and that I will be home for Christmas.”

Marcus and his family are now appealing to the British Foreign Secretary to help him.

“Dubai police have the power to drop the case against Marcus and allow him to come home,” Stirling said.

“This is not something we want to do to young people and we ask David Lammy, Member of Parliament, to convey this message to his colleagues in the UAE.”

The UAE only recently introduced changes allowing tourists to have sex outside of marriage, as well as looser rules on alcohol and vaping.

That was a British couple imprisoned for kissing in public in 2010, and eventually deported for violating the country’s decency laws.

Despite changes in the law, Stirling warns that parents will soon be ‘afraid to take their older teenagers on holiday, where they could end up losing their lives for behavior that is perfectly legal in their own country’.