To think this mother should be ashamed of herself

[2boyzNosleep]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly2zq1yl0ko

17yr old girl & 18 yr old boy hook up on holiday in Dubai. I believe they may have met over there. The girls mother finds messages on the girls phone when they return to the UK. The mother reports the guy to Dubai police. He gets arrested as sex with anyone under 18yrs is illegal in Dubai. He has now been sentenced to 1 year in prison.

I haven't looked into it much, as far as I can tell it was consensual, a charity called Detained in Dubai have been trying to help (legally I think).

Am I alone in thinking how bloody spiteful the mother is?!? The girl is 17 years old and I think in another report saw that she turned 18 shortly after returning.

If he was then they would have both been underage. Therefore she also would be criminalized

I think that people who go to other countries should respect their laws.

And I think that deliberately getting your (now adult) daughter's boyfriend imprisoned for having consensual sex with her is batshit.

He was an adult, she was a minor, under Dubai law
What part of that had you missed?

To all the people saying the mother was vindictive...

What would you say if the man had been 25?
Or 22?
What about 19?
Or a local?
Or from a different school or family group?

Laws do not tolerate nuance - they can't, they have to be absolute
It's not a complicated law
Sex with someone under 18 is illegal in Dubai

So don't do it

"I assume she will return her daughter there to let the authorities deal with her."

'Deal with her'?
For what?
She has committed no crime in Dubai
Quite the reverse, under Dubai law she is a victim of non-consensual sex

"If you don't agree with their laws, don't go there. Simples."
It does seem that a lot of people have difficulty with the fact that different countries have different laws

Maybe look up sex before marriage in Sharia law.

I think everyone here understands that, but it is the mother’s clearly vindictive nature here people are objecting to.

Sex before marriage is not a crime in Dubai.

Laws themselves may not tolerate nuance but the way in which we respond to and apply them absolutely can- which is why a woman who kills her abuser should get less time than a serial killer, regardless of the fact that murder is against the law.

Laws absolutely have nuance. UK law is specifically structured to allow for sexual relationships when children are close in age and there is guidance to state that it is NOT intended to criminalise children in consensual relationships.

Whether or not he broke the law is irrelevant to whether the mother is this case is evil and nasty beyond belief. You think if they had met in London, or met 2 weeks later when she was 18, the mother would have been OK with it because it wasn't illegal?

The fact is that the mother did not do this because she was very concerned about protecting the sanctity of Dubai law, and we all know that. How on earth you think that deliberately getting your daughter's boyfriend put in jail because of a matter of two weeks is not vindictive is beyond me.

He should have known the law. His parents should not have booked a holiday to such a repressive and awful regime in the first place. He should have considered the risks of having a holiday romance with a girl with racist parents.

However, the fact that he didn't just come home after his holiday is down to her mother reporting it.

So I assume you read up on every law before you visit anywhere overseas?

Or he wasn’t black….

To say that aws do not tolerate nuance is incorrect. In mainland Europe and the UK interpretation of the law is a matter for the courts. I've no idea how things work in Dubai. And yes, some laws anywhere in the world can be overly complex due to poor drafting leading to ambiguity.

It reflects well on any country that cares about one of their own 18 years olds who's been a victim of this situation and probably racism. Which countries do you think wouldn't care about one of their own black 18 year olds and would think he got what he deserved? It reflects badly on them.

Laws have no nuance
Courts can apply nuance - usually in the form of a minor punishment
In the UK, the CPS, as instructed by the DPP, can choose not to prosecute for a number of reasons
Dubai does not permit that

"UK law is specifically structured to allow for sexual relationships when children are close in age"
There is nothing in UK statutory law to allow that
Courts have leeway on sentencing, or can instruct a jury to find someone innocent, but the law has no nuance

That is correct
In the UK, judges have quite a lot of leeway - they can even instruct a jury to find someone not guilty
But this can lead to serious issues - remember the judge who described an underage girl as "no angel" when giving her rapist a suspended sentence?

Maybe look up Dubai's laws before saying something foolish?

Under Dubai law, she was not capable of giving consent, and was a minor, only he was an adult

Awful, spiteful mother. And what on earth was she doing “finding” her 17 year old daughter’s private chats? Bizarre and think it has a definite racist tone. Can’t imagine giving a hoot that my 17 year old daughter slept with a guy one year (by the sounds of it, less than) her senior.

No
Under Dubai law, the girl was a minor, the boy was an adult

In Dubai she is not legally capable of giving consent, ergo, it was not consensual sex

Obviously
If it's a country famous for intolerant laws and harsh penalties like the UAE you'd be a fool not to
There's an idiots guide to every country on the FCO website
Sadly, only non-idiots read it