Brit teen boy jailed for one year in Dubai over 'holiday romance' with teen girl

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A Brit teen who was detained for having sex with a woman a year younger than him has been sentenced to one year in a Dubai prison.

Marcus Fakana, 18, was sentenced today for holiday sex with a British-Indian girl who is 18, but was 17 at the time of their encounter - a year below Dubai's strictly-enforced legal age of consent. He appeared in court on Monday, and his sentence was delivered today.

In an update shared by human rights campaign group Detained in Dubai ahead of the trial, Marcus and his family slammed the Foreign Secretary for his apparent lack of action, adding that Marcus had only received "a couple of letters" from David Lammy but nothing else. He said: “I appear in court on Monday and all they have done is send a couple of letters.

"I am not aware of any diplomatic communications or meetings with UAE counterparts. I feel abandoned, that I am going to lose my life over this, before it’s even really begun.” His family has previously spoken out about the "terrible emotional and financial strain" the legal proceedings have stirred reports the Mirror.

Radha Stirling, the CEO of DID, which represents people who say they were wrongly imprisoned in Dubai, said Marcus' imprisonment was "an embarrassment to Britain". Ms Stirling said in a statement that Marcus plans to appeal his sentence, with the teen having spent months in Dubai.

She said: "Marcus will appeal his sentence but has already been held in Dubai since September and now has a one year sentence to face. 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.

"The family have issued a plea to Dubai ruler, HH Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum to spare Marcus for consensual sex with another British citizen." Dubai Public Prosecution previously said in a statement that the mother of the girl with whom Marcus had the encounter filed the complaint as her legal guardian.

The mum was reportedly back in the UK when she made the allegation. A representative for the prosecutor said in a statement: "Under UAE law, the girl is legally classified as a minor, and in accordance with procedures recognised internationally, her mother - being the legal guardian - filed the complaint.

"Dubai's legal system is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring impartial judicial proceedings." A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said in a statement that the department is actively supporting Marcus and is in contact with his family.

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