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Original poster

Marcus Fakana gets prison sentence in Dubai.

808 replies

Ohnonotmeagain · 11/12/2024 13:56

This is the 18 year old lad who had a holiday romance with a 17 year old girl in Dubai. She was just short of 18.

her parents found out and reported him to the Dubai authorities before he returned home.

his poor parents aren’t well off and had to return home to work leaving him there.

he’s now been sentenced to 1 year in prison.

aibu to think this poor boy should never have been brought before court.

OP posts:
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11
OonaStubbs · 14/12/2024 13:48

Prison isn't supposed to be nice. He broke the law of the land he was in. A year is not a long time in someone's lifetime. Hopefully he learns something from the experience.

DreamW3aver · 14/12/2024 13:42

OonaStubbs · 14/12/2024 12:53

It's a year in prison. It's not the end of the world. Yes Dubai has harsh laws. Hopefully this news story will make more people aware of them.

Have you read about the conditions in the prison? I can't believe anyone would think a day there isnt the end of the world never mind a year, are you being serious?

Dweetfidilove · 14/12/2024 13:40

It's amazing how many 'it's the law' people are on this thread. The same people you see berating Middle Eastern countries for other draconian laws ☹️.

I hope the mother chokes on the tongue she used to report that poor young man.

Sorshpans · 14/12/2024 13:32

deeahgwitch · 14/12/2024 13:22

It's a year in prison. It's not the end of the world....."

Will it have implications for future travel to other countries- the US for example.

“It's a year in prison. It's not the end of the world....."
Will it have implications for future travel to other countries- the US for example

I suspect so. His best hope is really
to receive a “pardon” which I believe has been done in other cases in Dubai. I think that would wipe the conviction and cut short the sentence depending on when they pardon him.

I read another case recently of a man who is or was detained for writing negative reviews about his former UAE employer on Google. He made the mistake of going back there on holiday and was arrested. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdd0ggyvd86o.amp

He apparently hasn’t been jailed but he isn’t allowed to leave the country yet. It’s all just bonkers. If my friend does still go out to work there as she plans, I’ve told her not to expect a visit from me!

Craig Ballentine looking into a computer camera during a BBC video interview. He has short, fair hair and a moustache and is wearing a black polo shirt.

NI man arrested in Dubai 'over negative online review' - BBC News

Craig Ballentine could be facing jail in the UAE for criticising his former boss in a Google review.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdd0ggyvd86o.amp

Goldenbear · 14/12/2024 13:25

OonaStubbs · 14/12/2024 12:53

It's a year in prison. It's not the end of the world. Yes Dubai has harsh laws. Hopefully this news story will make more people aware of them.

Where's your compassion.

deeahgwitch · 14/12/2024 13:22

It's a year in prison. It's not the end of the world....."

Will it have implications for future travel to other countries- the US for example.

OonaStubbs · 14/12/2024 12:53

It's a year in prison. It's not the end of the world. Yes Dubai has harsh laws. Hopefully this news story will make more people aware of them.

runningpram · 14/12/2024 12:30

I sadly suspect race is an issue here. If it had been a white teen I doubt anything would have happened.

Sorshpans · 14/12/2024 12:19

Sunshineandrainbow · 14/12/2024 11:50

Haven't read all the thread but is there anything I can do to support this young lad.

Unbelievable

I know there was a gofund me - presumably to fund legal and family travel expenses. However that may be closed now that he’s been unfortunately sentenced - unless the family are planning to go and appeal ( if thats even possible)

Sorshpans · 14/12/2024 12:14

Coolasfeck · 12/12/2024 20:27

Fuck that. Why would anyone ever go that country??!

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Exactly!

That was the final straw for me. It extinguished any lingering doubt I may ever have had about going there even as a connecting airport - which was sadly the case in this instance.

I will never visit or even connect there if I can help it.

Sunshineandrainbow · 14/12/2024 11:50

Haven't read all the thread but is there anything I can do to support this young lad.

Unbelievable

Original poster
Ohnonotmeagain · 14/12/2024 11:06

I find the difference in attitudes on this thread, where he committed a crime and deserves his conviction and prison.

and the other thread where a lady has been convicted for fraud, recieved nothing but support, posters calling her an “amazing human being” and saying she absolutely didn’t deserve prison and it was all a terrible mistake, she didn’t mean it, etc.

very interesting. Why is one, an actual crime by UK standards, deserving of such sympathy, and the other, a non crime by UK standards, met with such a different attitude.

personally I think fraud woman deserves everything she got. And while Marcus did commit a crime by that countries standards, no I don’t think he deserves a year in prison and I would expect the UK govt/detained in Dubai etc to be pressuring the Dubai authorities to allow him to return home. Especially as it seems that the crime was deliberately escalated from a misdemeanour to ensure he got prison.

OP posts:
Tiswa · 14/12/2024 10:59

The Daily Mail has already started with an article about the strict rules and would it put you off and some of the rules I didn’t know and at the moment the poll is at 70% yes and 10% not sure out of 12000 votes

Zanatdy · 14/12/2024 10:53

He’s 18. Yes he should have known the law, but what 18yr old boy thinks to check that. I personally think her family are disgusting getting this 18yr old boy jailed. Hope they are happy.

Tiswa · 14/12/2024 10:50

And intervention in this case would make sense - how much will this put people off visiting - the negative press over what was in essence a teenage romance - is going to potentially hit it hard with a huge tourist sector put off going

Createausername1970 · 14/12/2024 09:55

I have sympathy for him, but when you travel to a different country, you have to abide by their laws.

stuckdownahole · 14/12/2024 09:50

Slooodie359 · 12/12/2024 19:59

I question the parents or young man’s choice to use media and racism to try to influence the Dubai legal system.

Dubai was never going to allow him to be acquitted or not guilty. He was likely always going to get 6 mos to a year. I base this on my familiarity with another young man( a “white” boy & very similar circumstance. His name is not public, and think it’s lucky for him. )

Marcus’ name & face is out there forever … the little schoolboy photo …. It will be difficult to put this in the past. Employers might just choose to not hire.

IMO - making him a public figure for breaking law in another country, no matter how different law is from UK, was a mistake. Dubai was never going to make an exception for him, to set a precedent. The current law was made in 2022, Dubai clearly made careful considerations for this recently changed law, were not going to make an exception.

That's a fair point but I suspect that he is absolutely terrified to the point of being suicidal and his family want to use all possible levers to save him from a very difficult year in prison. Detained In Dubai are not lawyers, they are a pressure group by nature and they aim to generate negative media coverage which is something the emirate of Dubai want to avoid. Sheikh Mohammed has intervened personally in such cases before so it's a tried and tested tactic.

The culture there, as you probably know, is such that if Sheikh Mohammed decrees his release, no local will say openly that it's a poor decision as he is an absolute ruler whose wisdom is not to be questioned.

SharpOpalNewt · 14/12/2024 09:36

TickingAlongNicely · 11/12/2024 14:04

On one hand, it seems ridiculous.

On the other hand... if a foreigner had committed a crime against a woman in the UK, that wasn't a crime in their home country, there would be outcry if he was just deported.

So we can't have it both ways.

On the contrary. Loads of people would prefer them to be deported, we have enough criminals to pay for over here as it is.

Feelingathomenow · 14/12/2024 09:34

OonaStubbs · 14/12/2024 09:03

Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Maybe people need to also be made aware of Dubai’s not fit for the 21st century legal system. Dubai is built on sand both physically and metaphorically. Wtf people want to go there god only knows.

Feelingathomenow · 14/12/2024 09:21

Birdscratch · 13/12/2024 16:43

That’s the result of targeted advertising which uses SM influencers to sell it as a super desirable holiday destination and not a very hot shopping centre with medieval laws.

This is the best description of Dubai o have ever read! Makes you think how much influencers are paid to lie.

OonaStubbs · 14/12/2024 09:03

Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Grammarnut · 13/12/2024 23:53

JHound · 13/12/2024 16:33

Except most people and especially not the average 18 year old at school is going to think of Dubai as a place with “restrictive laws”.

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Why not? Anyway, his parents should have been aware and pointed the law out to him once he started seeing the girl.

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 13/12/2024 16:55

a very hot shopping centre with medieval laws.

//

A very accurate description

Birdscratch · 13/12/2024 16:43

That’s the result of targeted advertising which uses SM influencers to sell it as a super desirable holiday destination and not a very hot shopping centre with medieval laws.

JHound · 13/12/2024 16:33

Grammarnut · 13/12/2024 09:01

And had a stupid, vindictive mother, by the sounds of it. An 18-year-old is an adult. If you go somewhere with restrictive laws then knowing about the ones you might breach, at 18, is a good idea.

Show quote history

Except most people and especially not the average 18 year old at school is going to think of Dubai as a place with “restrictive laws”.