Marcus Fakana gets prison sentence in Dubai.

[Ohnonotmeagain]

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.

It is not an offence for her too. What is her offence here?

The sheer spiteful vindictiveness of the girls
mother has disgusted me. It was consensual! It takes two to tango.

What a hideous woman she must be.

@LoveIsLikeAFartIfYouHaveToPushItsUsuallyShit I think we do have Romeo and Juliet laws, so as long as similar in age, consensual and no position of power then underage sex may not result in prosecution

I suspect she had an idea he would be in deep trouble, and probably imprisoned and I think she did it on purpose. I would like to know who the mum is (but understand the girl needs privacy). I wonder if there are other underlying reasons why she reported him as in she felt he was beneath them or less than them. Such a spiteful thing to do. I hope he gets out early. However, we cant argue as some have done that it is not a crime in the UK so he should be jailed. It is a crime in that country. I am an immigrant here. I cant jump the red light then say its never taken seriously in my country. So sadly he did break their laws. The government didn't lift a finger to help him (lawyer says the police added so many things that changed it from a misdemeanor to something more serious). Sad really

Another reason not to visit Dubai, hopefully with media pressure he'll be pardoned and released back to the UK.

Dubai would seem a very bad place to take a teenager on holiday.
Teenagers will always be teenagers and push boundaries/ the limits of the law without really thinking through the potential consequences. Whilst you can get away with that in the UK and most of Europe, you really can't in Dubai or most of the Gulf.

With younger children it seems like an ideal holiday destination, but I would be very stressed to take an older teen there.

Does that mean that if she ever went back to Dubai she could be prosecuted? Did her vindictive mother mess her up as well?

Are laws relaxed about alcohol? I remember there was a case when a tourist was arrested in Dubai after ordering alcohol on an Emirates flight. You can't hold hands in public, it is very very strict and most Westerners don't have a clue about this.

My eldest lives in Dubai and has done for years. I travel out there every year to see her and take my younger girls with me.

Dubai is A LOT safer than the U.K. and I’ve never ever felt vulnerable out there - unlike here and Europe. I’d consider moving out there if this country doesn’t change.

He broke the law and that’s why he is in jail. The girls mother is unbelievably spiteful

My goodness I would be terrified for her. Where do you live that is si hostile in the UK.

It's the same place a woman was arrested after reporting that she was raped. Women who report domestic abuse are sometimes arrested.

It's a dangerous place to visit. It's all well and good if you don't find yourself locked up.

I went there before it became a tourist magnet, and I now feel that I shouldn't have. It is a very cruel regime, that treats certain "classes" of immigrant workers as sub-human.

You can drink in hotels and at bars. There is a big party scene - even ladies nights where women drink for free. But drunken louts will not be tolerated in the streets. You will get absolutely fucked if you have ANY kind of drug on you.

You can hold hands in public - you can even walk round in a bikini by the pool or beach.

Yes. Except Sharjah. Dry

I’m actually very lucky that I live semi rurally. But if I travel in to the town or the city it’s not safe - or it feels unsafe. The North West

yes, you can drink in all tourist hotels and restaurants

I think it was terrible of the girl's mother to report this to the Dubai police . She can't have been unaware of the serious consequences for him in that country. Yes he should have been cautioned maybe juvenile prison here . But a teenager , alone in a foreign country jail with such a bad reputation for human rights is just so wrong . For having a holiday romance? Not coercive and consenting .

Do we know anything about the context of this mother's disclosure? I haven't read anything about it. It seems that people are quick to jump to the conclusion that it was malicious or spiteful yet she might be privy to information which is not being reported on.

We all make mistakes, especially as teenagers. Luckily most of them are minor and don't land us in prison. Sometimes they do. It's a harsh sentence but it's their law.

You absolutely can't hold hands in public, not according to UK Foreign Office, why would you spout falsehoods, very irresponsible of you.

The drinking is very very ambiguous and I personally wouldn't gamble my freedom on a drink like the person who got arrested on the Emirates flight.

He broke the law. His parents should have drummed it in to him what the laws are like out there and as he was 18 it should have been on his mind to research before going on holiday.

The most disgusting part of this are the parents of the girl. She had a consensual relationship with a guy of a similar age that would be perfectly legal in the UK. Yet they decided to report him to the Dubai authorities knowing he could end up in jail. I hope karma comes from them.

The poor boy and his family. She was 17, nearly 18 and he was 18. Different if he was 30 perhaps.

If they’d been at home would they have called the police? Course not, because they’d get told off for wasting police time.

Fancy reporting him, what did they gain from that? Awful.

Nope, the equivalent situation would be a 15yo tourist having sex with a 15yo tourist. Both of these two were 17yo at the time.

Yes but the fact that is so specific i.e had an alcoholic drink in a different context like on an aeroplane and then get jailed - no thank you, that is absurd and completely illogical.

The daughter should be expedited to serve the same sentence.

Completely agree with this.

devastating for the boy and the family. Of course it is. But that’s THE LAW in the country he visited.

I wish the UK was as forceful with insisting our own customs and laws were followed here.

What happens if 2 married 17yo uk nationals go on their honeymoon to Dubai? I assume both imprisoned if it was thought they’d had sex?