18-Year-Old Briton Marcus Fakana Sentenced To 1 Year In Dubai Prison After Holiday Romance
11 Dec 2024
18-year-old British citizen Marcus Fakana has been sentenced to a year in Dubai prison after a “holiday romance” with a girl who was 17 at the time.
Tottenham born Fakana was with his family in the UAE when he met the girl – who’s also from London and is now 18.
Fakana previously said the pair kept their romance secret from the girl’s family “because they were strict” and had hoped to continue seeing each other back in the UK.
The girl, also from London, was reportedly back in the UK when her mother made the allegation causing major uproar on social media.
Mr Fakana 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.”
Mr Fakana’s parent issued a statement pleading for help from both the public and Dubai’s ruler, HH Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum.
“We’ve sought assistance from Foreign secretary David Lammy to ensure his right to upheld and we ask 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.”
Fakana and his parents feel as though he has been abandoned by the British government, according to the campaign group Detained in Dubai after their appeal for help from Foreign Secretary David Lammy fell on deaf ears.
He is expected to appeal his sentence.