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.

He broke the law. Ignorance is not a defence.

That was 7 or so years ago and laws have massively changed.

When does the girl get her punishment? She did too.
She just escaped the country before it was reported.

The offence in Dubai is under age sex.

She's above the age of criminal responsibility there, and she broke the law by consenting to extramarital sex. The person who they have extramarital sex with is also committing an offence.

It is not the same as UK. That is why the UK comparison is worthless here.

yes but an 18 year old wouldn't know that. They were probably in a tourist hotel full of westerners, with everyone acting the same as they would back home. He likely wouldn't have noticed any strict rules unless they went into the old town and markets for the day.

Yes, definitely that freedom and fairness, proportionality is not sadly the legal system in place in many of these severe countries.

I am not a fan of Dubai, but different countries do have different laws - US v UK etc and it is best to check before you go there. In England until recently you could marry at 16 and that has now been changed to 18 (although if you go up to Scotland you can get married at 18) . Things change all the time - best to avoid casual sex on holiday - never a good idea.

When you go to places like Dubai you need to know the law and you need to follow the law regardless of what you think of the law. The fact that if it happened in the UK the outcome would be different is irrelevant.

The fact that her parents reported it is really not an issue. They were both in Dubai and a law was broke, They informed the Police to uphold the law of Dubai which whether we agree or not was their right.

This is why tourists need to educate themselves on the Laws of the Country they are visiting and obey them and not expect special treatment because they are from the UK/EU/USA etc.

No, they'll be fine. The laws are specifically for extramarital intercourse.

Anyone who is legally married, of whatever age, is not committing an offence provided the person they have sex with is their own spouse.

Yes, so it's a false sense of security that's why I would never go there or let my DC go there.

Glad I'm not the only one who is sympathetic to this young man's plight. Did he know the girl was underage? Did he know the law there? Did he fully understand the legal process over there?
I feel so sorry for him, left in a prison among foreign strangers in appalling conditions. He must.be very frightened.
.l hope our embassy can help him in some way. He is just a kid.

It is sex WITH underage person. She commited no crime.
Unmarried sex is not a a crime.

Is the race of the girl known? Is that a factor here?

He's 18. Is there any reason to think that his general knowledge and powers of reasoning are far worse than that of the vast majority other 18yos- who absolutely would know that it wasn't business as usual in Dubai?

You see the girls mum? She’s wicked and vindictive as fuck. Shame on her

No - it is the act of having extramarital sex, if you are under age or if the other person is under age. Both are offences

Smug as

I feel sorry for him
and I feel sorry for the girl who has to live with a mother like this.

In California, the age of consent is 18, so 18 not that unusual.

Neither of them 2 were married???

I’ve never researched the laws before going on holiday somewhere, but then I’ve never gone somewhere like Dubai.

I think a lot of people on this thread have forgotten what it is to be a teenager about to have sex. No youngster is going to say ‘hold on a minute there. I know we are in the privacy of our hotel room and you have given consent but I, just going to google if I might get arrested.’

My friend got pregnant at 14 with a 17 year old. It was consensual.

The UK authorities didn't do anything to them.

The mother of the girl is the one who did wrong here. Vile to report him.

Generally speaking if the resident of country A goes to country B where laws are different and breaks the law, would you expect them to be punished?
Not considering the actions of the mother in this.

That poor lad will be in real danger. That girl's mother is a nasty, vindictive piece of work. Racism figures very highly in this whole thing. Shameful.
Yes I would have told my sons about the laws in Dubai, but this lad's parents may not have known. They must be absolutely frantic.