An 18-year-old British boy, who allegedly had a romantic affair with a teenage girl only a few months younger while on holiday with his family in Dubai, now faces up to 20 years in prison due to the country’s strict laws .
“Dubai only recently legalized sex outside of marriage for tourists, but there is still a strict Islamic legal system. The girl was only a few months younger than Marcus and he didn’t know it at the time,” Radha Stirling, executive director of the Detained in Dubai group, told The Guardian.
Towards the end of September, young Marcus Fakana was on holiday with his family in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, when he allegedly met another young tourist, also from London, who was staying in the same hotel.
The two young people then became infatuated with each other to the point of having sexual relations together, while they hoped to continue their relationship upon their return to England, according to the British media.
He did not know, then, that their few months difference meant that the young girl was a minor, aged 17, and he was an adult.
“We loved each other very much, but she was secretive with her family because they were strict. My parents knew about our relationship, but she couldn’t tell hers. She must have met me without telling them that it was to see a boy,” the young adult would have told the organization.
Except that after the teenager’s departure, police officers appeared at the young adult’s room without explanation to arrest him, detaining him for three days without him being able to call his own parents, according to Sky News.
According to “Detained in Dubai”, it was the teenager’s mother who contacted local authorities after discovering messages and photos in her daughter’s cell phone upon her return to England.
Given strict laws in the United Arab Emirates surrounding sex outside of marriage, he could now face 20 years in prison, according to the organization.
“Since her arrest, she has been 18 years old. This is not something that Dubai should be prosecuting,” said Radha Stirling, who is campaigning for the charges to be dropped.
While awaiting a decision, the young man would not be allowed to leave the country, forcing his family to spend all their savings on accommodation.
“This is clearly a very strict mother to involve the police in a private matter that is completely legal in the country where she lives […] Perhaps she did not know that she would trigger the possibility of a young man of just 18 years old spending the next 20 years in prison,” the director continued to the “Independent”.
He is not the only one to risk prison: last month, the British Craig Ballentine, 33, was also handcuffed for having left a negative comment on the website of a dog grooming company.
Online criticism would be banned in the United Arab Emirates under cybercrime laws, The Independent continued.
