19-Year-Old British Citizen Marcus Fakana Released From Dubai Jail After Royal Pardon
7 Jul 2025
Marcus Fakana, a 19-year-old from Tottenham, north London, has returned to the UK after being jailed in Dubai for having consensual sex with a 17-year-old British girl while on holiday in the UAE.
Fakana was sentenced to a year in prison in December but was granted an Eid royal pardon by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Mr Fakana recently wrote to the Sheikh from Al Awir Prison asking to be released.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed his release and said Fakana wished to return quietly to reunite with family. Eid pardons are a common gesture of compassion in Muslim countries during religious holidays.
A Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “He was released on an Eid pardon last week. We understand he wanted to get back to the UK without media attention and to see his family.”
Mr Fakana was with his parents in the UAE from the end of August last year when a “holiday romance blossomed”, with another Londoner, who has since turned 18, the campaign group previously said.
The girl’s mother reported Fakana to the UAE authorities after seeing messages between the two when she had returned to the UK.