A British teenager jailed in Dubai for having sex with a 17-year-old girl has said it “never occurred” to him that his holiday romance would break the law.
Marcus Fakana, 18, was sentenced to a year in prison on Wednesday for having a sexual relationship with the girl, who is also British, while on holiday in the United Arab Emirates with his family last summer.
The apprentice builder was arrested at his hotel in August after the girl’s mother reported him to the police. Sex with another person aged under 18 is illegal in the UAE.
Speaking for the first time since his sentencing, Mr Fakana said on Thursday: “My family and I are devastated and in shock.
“I never intended to break the law. It didn’t occur to me at the time and for that, I’m sorry.
“I am asking His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum to please forgive me and pardon me. Let me go home. Please give me my life back.”
Fakana, who is out on bail pending an appeal, struck up a “secretive” relationship with the fellow holidaymaker, who he said had “strict” parents.
“We had a wonderful time together,” he said. “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.”
But when the girl, who is now 18, returned to the United Kingdom, her mother looked at her phone and discovered that they had a sexual relationship.
The mother reported Mr Fakana, who is from Tottenham, in north London, to the police in Dubai and he was then arrested.
“They [Dubai police] said they were taking me in for questioning, but wouldn’t tell me why,” he recalled. “I couldn’t imagine what for. I was frightened and my parents were terrified.”
Mr Farkana was handed a one-year sentence on Wednesday after a 15-minute hearing from which he, and his family, were barred from attending.
Under UAE law, the accused is not allowed to take part in a trial, with prosecutors and defence lawyers arguing the case instead.
Now on bail pending an appeal, Mr Fakana is living in a rented apartment funded by £30,000 of GoFundMe donations to his parents, who work as a cleaner and a warehouse worker respectively.
‘He’s been useless’
Detained in Dubai, a legal firm representing the teenager, has accused the British Government of having “abandoned” and “failed” him.
“Marcus feels abandoned by the British Government and Keir Starmer who just spent the weekend in the UAE,” said Radha Stirling, its chief executive.
Friends of the Fakanas also claimed that David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary and his local MP, had not done enough to support him.
“He’s been useless,” one told The Telegraph. “Of course they haven’t [done enough]. They just let him sit over there, wasting a year of his life. It’s nuts.”
A Change.org petition calling on the Government to offer stronger support to the teenager has received more than 40,000 signatures.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said Sir Keir “recognises it’s an extremely distressing situation for Marcus and his family”.
“The Foreign Office is in regular contact with his family and his legal team at this difficult time,” the spokesman said. “I believe that they’re in discussion with his lawyers.
“And I believe him and his family are considering options and next steps.”
“He’s not currently detained, the consular officials are supporting him throughout this period and will continue to do so.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was approached for comment.