The family of an 18-year-old boy facing 20 years in jail for a fling with a girl, 17, have pleaded with the ruler of Dubai to let their boy come home.
Marcus Fakana, from Tottenham, north London, had been on holiday in the United Arab Emirates when he began a secret romance with the girl, who has now turned 18 and is also from London.
The pair had a ‘wonderful time’, but kept their meetings from the girl’s ‘strict’ mother.
But when the mum went through her daughter’s phone and found the messages, she informed police in Dubai.
Marcus was arrested and held in the city’s ‘notorious’ Al Barsha Police Station for a matter of days and is now facing up to 20 years in jail for his actions.
While the relationship would have been legal in the UK, under Dubai law a 17-year-old is defined as a child.
In a new statement, the family of Marcus have pleaded with authorities in Dubai to let their boy return to London.
His parents said: ‘We’ve sought assistance from Foreign secretary David Lammy to ensure his right to upheld and we asked Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, to please let our boy come home.
‘This ordeal has caused us terrible emotional and financial strain and every day is an emotional battle.’
Marcus’s family are trying to raise money through a GoFundMe page to help the effort to bring the 18-year-old home.
More than £24,000 has been raised so far, with the family forking out £2,000 a month to keep Marcus in the Dubai Airbnb he is staying in.
Marcus spoke to British-based aid organisation Detained in Dubai about the ‘nightmare’ he is living.
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.
‘When she left I couldn’t wait to see her again when I got home. The 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.’
The UAE has only recently changed laws to allow tourists to have sex outside of marriage.
Marcus’scourt hearing is set for December 9, 2024.
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