Marcus Fakana, 18, said he is living in Airbnbs in Dubai which are costing his family £2,000 per month – and spoke of his hopes of returning to Britain by Christmas
The family of a young Brit being held in Dubai after a holiday fling with a fellow teenager is spending thousands of pounds in a bid to free him.
Marcus Fakana, 18, was visiting the United Arab Emirates with his family when he met a British girl and a romance blossomed between them. The pair, both from London, had sex but kept their meetings hidden from the girl’s family as they were strict, Marcus claimed. The girl was 17 at the time and the age of consent in the UAE is 18.
Eventually the girl, who is now 18, flew back to Britain – and they were hoping to continue their relationship back home. However, before Marcus and his family were due to return to the UK, police knocked on their hotel room door and took the teen into custody without explanation.
According to Detained in Dubai, which campaigns for people it says have suffered injustice, Marcus was held for three days during which he couldn’t call or speak to his parents. DID said that Marcus then learnt that the girl’s mum had not known about their relationship while on holiday and had allegedly reported him to Dubai authorities after finding their messages on her daughter’s phone.
Marcus is enduring a living “nightmare” stuck alone in Dubai and facing the possibility of 20 years in prison. He said his parents have hard to return to Britain to work and are spending £2,000 per month to support him while he stays in Airbnbs there.
He said: “I’m living in Airbnbs that are costing my family £2,000 per month. They had to go home to work. They earn a humble living: my mother is a cleaner and my dad works in a warehouse. They saved up for this one-off holiday and they have now used all of their savings.
“The police demanded 10,000 AED (£2,154) for bail which I’ve been told is not normal and the costs are mounting. I’m here all alone. I pray this nightmare will be over and I’ll be home for Christmas.”
Dubai has only recently legalised out-of-wedlock sex for tourists – but the age of consent, which is 18, is strictly enforced, said Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai. She added: “The girl was just a few months younger than Marcus and he didn’t know that at the time. Since his arrest, she has turned 18 and Marcus would not be facing 20 years in jail. This is not something Dubai should be prosecuting.”
Marcus and his family are now using their MP, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, to intervene in the case. While the London teen is no longer in a police cell, he has to stay in the UAE until the case is resolved.
The Mirror has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.
