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.

What law did the girl break?

"she's ruined the life of a young lad who's done nothing wrong."
Apart from break the law in a country known for harsh punishments for minor crimes

Yes that wouldn't bother me either. They're close in age and both close to 16. Someone 18 or over who had sex with a 15 year old not ok, I'm not sure where exactly the line would be, 17 and nearly 16 probably ok, but 20 and nearly 15 definetly not. 20 and 16 while legal would feel off to me.

I do wonder if the mum has thought through the possible cosequences for her daughter, she may have made it impossible for her DD to return to Dubai or even take an international flight that stops there. Had there been sexual abuse involved I think I still would have waited until they returned to the UK, I wouldn't want to risk putting my child on the radar as someone who has potentially committed a crime in an Arab state. I wouldn't want to talk to my mother ever again if she'd done this to someone I had consensual sex with, but I'd also be worried and angry that this might have consequences for me if I ever went to or had a stop over in Dubai. If the sex was consensual the mother has behaved in a really disgusting vindictive way.

Yes my responses would be the same. I had sex at 15 with my 16 year old boyfriend, 3 months older than me.

Yes but in Dubai the legal age of consent is 18 and she was 17 and they are strict about it in Dubai so yes he broke the law. Wether the mother should have reported it to the Dubai police is another debate.

Took me about two minutes to find photos and names of the mother and daughter on twitter. Dear oh dear... What the hell was she thinking

The girl didn't break any law

Yes, this would be absolutely fine. There’s a few months difference in age.

No, in the law of that land, she is under the age of consent and is the victim of a sexual crime. You cannot look at this through a UK lens. It is well known that there are some draconian laws and severe punishments over there. We know nothing of the mother's motivation for reporting either. If you don't wish to comply with the laws in other countries, stay in the UK. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Agree

A lesson to think twice before having sex with a stranger in a country known for its oppressive sex laws and strict punishments for foreigners who break them.

Exactly!

That poor young man

Anyone who thinks this is okay are total twats, have a bit of compassion. He was on HOLIDAY. Poor lad

“We know nothing of the mother's motivation for reporting either”

Well I think we can make a pretty good stab at it.

Get a grip. Victim of a sexual crime I’ve heard it all

Yes I would

Often said but not as true as people think. In UK law, there is a general assumption that the defendant knows the law, but it is a rebuttable assumption. Some crimes are what is known as strict liability, i.e. you are guilty even if you didn't know the law. But there are some crimes where you will be found not guilty if you can convince the court that you were unaware that what you were doing was an offence.

They should be ashamed for choosing Dubai to go on holiday. Even if this had not happened.

No I don't think the treatment was right. Their laws are why I wouldn't step foot in the place and I support the campaign group. But targeting the girl and her family isn't right either. I think there are a lot of naive Brits who enjoy the Dubai lifestyle but don't consider the consequences. My Dad lived there for a while. He got caught drink driving. Although he got taken to court and got a lecture, because he could just about pay a massive fine of thousands of pounds that's all he got and a massive telling off not to do it again.

Absolutely agree. All these people thinking their perfect teenage sons wouldn’t do or haven’t done worse than having a consensual fling on holiday.

This spiteful woman has ruined this man’s life for something her own daughter was equally responsible for.

This is a misdemeanour at best, and now he’s banged up in a foreign prison with who knows what kinds of criminals, away from everyone and everything he knows, alone and terrified.

People are heartless.

Isn’t sex outside of marriage also illegal in Dubai?

Yes, my response would be exactly the same. 16 and 15 year olds are in the same year at school, they are peers.

This was reported out of spite and will tarnish his life permanently. I feel very sorry for him.

Under the law in that country.
This is the point. This isn’t England!

All the reports I have seen say he was 18 at the time. Do you have a source for your statement that he was only 17?

No.