A 19-year-old British national, Marcus Fakana, has been released from prison in Dubai after serving six months of a one-year sentence for engaging in a consensual relationship with a 17-year-old girl—an incident that has raised fresh concerns about the treatment of foreign minors under the United Arab Emirates’ strict moral laws.
Fakana, who was vacationing in the UAE with his family in 2024, was arrested after the girl’s mother discovered private messages and photographs between the two teenagers and alerted Dubai authorities. The girl, also British, had already returned to the UK at the time of the report.
Though their relationship would have been entirely legal in the United Kingdom, the UAE’s laws set the age of consent at 18. Fakana was arrested at his family’s hotel and convicted in December 2024.
“We really liked each other,” Fakana said in a statement through Detained in Dubai, the rights group that supported his case. “She had to keep it a secret from her family because they were strict. I had no idea I could be arrested for this.”
Fakana was granted an early release last week following an Eid al-Adha royal pardon issued by Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
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“He’s relieved, but understandably shaken,” said Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai. “Marcus believed the girl was 18—they were in the same school year. Under those circumstances, a criminal conviction was entirely inappropriate.”
Stirling called for greater awareness around UAE law, particularly when it comes to young tourists. “Parents need to understand that teenagers can be prosecuted in the UAE for things that would never be considered crimes at home—relationships, social media activity, even casual drinking.”
Fakana’s case has reignited debate around legal protections for foreign minors visiting the Gulf. Human rights groups argue that UAE laws on morality are not only harsh but often applied without sensitivity to the cultural or legal context of visiting nationals.
While royal pardons are not uncommon during Islamic holidays, the case underscores the legal risks facing tourists in the region—particularly young people unfamiliar with local norms.
Fakana’s family has declined to comment, though a source close to them said they were “immensely grateful” for the pardon and “just want to help Marcus heal and move on.”
The UK Foreign Office has not issued a formal statement on the matter, but the incident is expected to prompt renewed calls for updated travel guidance and greater diplomatic engagement with Gulf countries over the treatment of minors.
For now, Marcus Fakana is back home in Britain. But his case serves as a stark reminder: what’s considered normal teenage behavior in one country can be met with imprisonment in another.
