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.

@LoveIsLikeAFartIfYouHaveToPushItsUsuallyShit

Extramarital means outside of marriage, not just cheating when married.

Any sex outside of a marriage set up (even two people who are a long term couple but not married) is considered extramarital sex.

His parents took him on holiday to dubai, he and they knew she was sneaking around and not allowed to be dating. why not just send her back to her parents?

why take your newly 18 year old to somewhere with all these potential hurdles, or at least make sure to keep him safe. And then he was left there to deal with it all on his own.

It his parents fault, but we have a foreign office i n=don't get why they haven't negotiated to get him home. Kier is in the UAE right now ffs and charles met the king of qatar last week.

british governments are content to let their citizens rot abroad while moaning about sovereignty, even in countries we have normal relations with, its baffling.

This is a really tricky one for Dubai - for too long they have been straddling the line between what is acceptable in their culture and appealing to and appeasing the western tourists that flock there - how they handle this really sets a tone going forward because I suspect a lot of people will be put off going there.

as for other countries consent laws are designed to protect the young from predators and age gaps - not a close age where one is slightly above and one slightly below

as for the US comparison given how easily accepted Beyoncé/Jay Z and Aaliyah R Kelly I am guessing not much

I feel really sorry for him, poor boy

Even on this thread there is confusion, for example, the foreign office state no hand holding in public (is It even allowed in private 🙄), a poster said that is not true. What about Alcohol and the person who was arrested in Dubai on an Emirates flight after purchasing alcohol. It is really confusing, illogical and the best solution IMO is not to go at all!!

You couldn't pay me to go back to Dubai. Been a few times and it's the hypocrisy of the Emirati's that is mind-blowing. Fair play he broke a law but if the UAE is so holier than thou, why is it still a major hub for human and sex trafficking? I was shocked at how many prostitutes I saw - I'm sure many were not 18! In other countries it wouldn't bother me as much - what people want to do with their bodies is up to them, but the fact that you just know this isn't their choice really upset me. How can you make an example of one person and yet pretend that the bigger problem doesn't exist? If it's so strict - why do the police turn a blind eye? I guess because it keeps people working and living their.

Sex outside of marriage when unmarried is NOT a crime.
She commited no crime.

Extramarital is generally used for when at least one is married. Common use. I take the note though. Thanks

It’s an appalling place with awful laws. If you go there you become subject to those awful laws. If you’re willing ignore that to go on holiday there don’t be surprised if it comes back to bite you in the ass.

I feel for him it’s appalling.
But can people stop going to these appalling countries?

The moment I hear someone has been to Dubai it tells me everything I need to know about them.

Agree. Plus the girl is now 18. I hope she speaks out against her mother on this.
From reading previously about this apparently the mother is originally from Dubai and knew exactly what she was doing by reporting him. Very spiteful and vindictive behaviour.

For those saying you should check the rules in other countries, I assume if DC went to Greece or Spain I probably wouldn't have checked, assumed similar to UK, but with respect to Dubai or similar I would have trawled through the rules, as know how strict and horrendous they can be if you break the law (wouldn't encourage DC to go to places like that). However, I guess if you are in a Western hotel/gated community you could probably forget that you are governed by much stricter rules than in UK

Arguably, if you are old enough to have sex, you are old enough to deal with the practical or legal consequences of having sex. My guess though is that the young man will be pardoned and sent home within a few weeks.

I agree with a PP, I'd be very surprised if there wasn't a racial angle to this - whether the girl's mother's behaviour, the prosecuting authorities or both. BAME friends who have travelled to Dubai have not had good experiences - nothing on this scale, but plenty of casual racism.

@LoveIsLikeAFartIfYouHaveToPushItsUsuallyShit

I didn't say that was the crime, I was just explaining what extramarital means.

The mother of the girl is a vindictive evil cow.

1 year is incredibly light for what is effectively having sex with a minor in a country with far stricter rules then here

BUT the parents should also be liable for not watching their kids (ie. The girls parents as they were the ones who reported it) as it's obviously a spite thing

Yeah sorry that was auposed to be two different answers ! Apologies

Wow I stand corrected, even worse.

He said: 'We had a wonderful time together. We really liked each other but she was secretive with her family because they were strict.

'My parents knew about our relationship, but she couldn't tell hers. She had to meet me without telling them it was to see a boy.

Sounds like he knew they were strict when they met, probably not as unforseen in a country with strict laws around this as some are making out.

I think the same - have sympathy for him at 18 but still at school ( I believe ) on a family holiday ie one he probably had little input on destination - while still seeing he broke the law of that country .

Any other girl with any other family from UK ( think both are from London) likely no-one would have known and wouldn't have been reported to authorities.

I suspect he didn't appreciate the risk he was taking and he was very unlucky he was reported but he did break their laws and this outcome is bad but could have been much worse which is sobering - and I expect his parents are terrified and have some guilt as they perhaps didn't think this could happen either.

This is such an awful story - and really strong evidence of why people need to be so careful in these countries.

People see Dubai as this fun place but the laws are harsh if you break them. It’s not Magaluf or Ayia Napa. The UAE is a conservative Islamic country. And I wish more people realised that when going there on holiday.

A holiday fling between two teenagers with a few months apart should not have ended like this and in most European countries it would not have.

Also I wish all the worse things on the mother of the teenaged girl involved whose racism was the trigger for all of this. What a disgusting woman.

(Also just stay away from people with strict families like this. I know young men think with their penises but he should have known a family like this would not take this lying down.)

I also think the girl is fairly despicable - she would surely have needed to support the mother’s complaint and I would have denied it.

His parents had no idea what Dubai is. They are lied to, the way the entire world lies about this place. David Lammy is a disgace.

I’m gobsmaked why anyone goes to a country like Dubai - their laws are draconian by modern western standards. It wasn’t long ago that a man was charged for brushing past another man accidentally in a crowded bar!

If you go to a country abide by their laws. Just be aware that some laws reflect European laws of 1230.

Yes - but a bit of empathy. He probably did not dig too deeply to realise that an 18 year old having sex with a 17 year old would result in a year in jail.

The Mum is from Dubai she isn't from London.