Marcus Fakana sentenced to a year in prison

[Zippedydodah]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles]]]]
I cannot believe that this lad is going to spend a year in prison- yes, I know that’s the law there, he should have known better etc, etc
I hope that the girl’s mother is ashamed of her actions.
I don’t want to think what the impact will be on Marcus 😥

Yup.

I'm sympathetic to Marcus, in that I suspect he was unaware of the law, but I do think that the principal thing his particular case highlights is the importance of holidaymakers knowing local laws. I do also fear for him being in a Dubai prison and would like to see him returned to the UK.

I'd like to know, with more confidence than just relying on some of Stirling's statements, if he has been harshly treated in comparison to similar cases.

I want making the point from a legal perspective but from an ethical viewpoint because some posters are only just stopping short of accusing this lad of being a sex predator. Which he isn't.

And I'm considering their ages as both being uk citizens ... had this happened in the uk bugger all would have come of it.

And comparing this to sex with a 13 year old is a daft comparison

She's also often described in the press (print and tv appearances) as being a "lawyer". I'm a bit confused about that, at present.

Radha Stirling isn't legally qualified. The best description of Detained In Dubai would be a pressure group that also engages in advocacy.

Basically if you are stuck in Dubai having unwittingly and unfortunately broken a local law, they will (for a fee) get the story in the papers, who will hopefully start a public campaign therefore putting pressure on your own national government to intervene on your behalf. However Starmer and David Lammy have not succumbed to the pressure.

Agree re vindictive mother.
I doubt anyone is in favour of the laws of other countries that don’t match ours. Especially when applied to British Nationals.
However, it does not take away from the fact each country has the right to apply its laws. We don’t have to agree with them. We don’t have to like them.
If you don’t like the laws, don’t go there. If you want to break the laws, don’t go there annd hope. There have been Brits in the East, not Dubai, awaiting death sentences for drugs, knowing when they carried drugs, what could happen.
Do stupid things, win stupid prizes.
Everyone knows about the cruel and unusual punishments for relationships outwith marriage. The girl would usually suffer worse…even if raped. It’s barbaric , which is why one behaves with caution. That a mother of a British child would report another British citizen, knowing there will be horrific repercussions is despicable. If he’d waited till they were back in UK instead of jumping her bones right away, they’d be fine.
Hopefully , he will get a very early release, once they think their point is made.
Hating their laws doesn’t mean we can change them . If someone told us to change our laws for them, we wouldn’t like it

That sounds right, to me, thanks.

And comparing this to sex with a 13 year old is a daft comparison

Not if you’re from a country that doesn’t consider 13 too young

I doubt anyone on this thread knows the exact law in the UK relating to consent without looking it up, and the discretion which can be applied by the police in cases where there are similar aged minors in a sexual relationship. Luckily, if an individual transgresses in such a minor way in the UK they're unlikely to find themselves banged up in a prison hell hole.

We can only hope that more publicity about the laws and the so called crimes that people are being jailed for deters more and more people from visiting. I would love their tourist industry to suffer.

Like another poster said - they can’t have it both ways. You can have corruption and draconian laws but don’t expect that many Westerners will
want to visit. I think most that do have no idea of the risks. Hopefully this will change.

There wasn't a victim this was consensual sex between two young people months apart in age.

Sorry but you do not know this as we do not have the facts from the girl’s family (minor at the time). The only reports we have in the media are that Marcus and his family knew the "minors" family were very strict and would not approve of what was occurring and both Marcus and his family kept it secret.
We have no direct knowledge if she was coerced or encouraged by both Marcus and his family to go behind her families back or for the sexual encounter too occur.

The young girl as the time was by definition in law still a minor and was under the custodianship of her family. None of us on here have any idea of the cultural or social repercussions of this sexual act or relationship would have on the family outside of marriage and without consent of her legal guardians. Not only that it was illegally in the country that it occurred.

Victims do not have to be physical abused they may also interpret abuse very differently including expressing feelings of guilt; this might depend on their social, cultural or psychological issue they endure after the act. Marcus and his family wilfully chose to hide this from her family with no regard for the cultural or religious repercussions it could have on the minor or her family when they eventually found out.

Her mother and the immediate family are also classed as a convictims, you are wilfully choosing to ignore the fact that Marcus and his family wilfully disregarded any concerns for her welling, social status or harm that may arise from of their actions to cover up this alleged relationship with full disregard for their faith. So, to say there were no victims is wholly wrong.

TDLR Marcus and his familed delibertly covered up this from her strict family, and the fact they had so little regard for her future within her fiath and community he could not keep his dick in his pants and sexually abused a minor as stated by the laws of the land it occuerd within.

Rather than answer this question a 2nd time in this thread, Ill let you look up the latter answer to a very simmelar question I posted ealier and also say I wholy agree with the answer @@Walkden responded with.

Two young people engaging in consensual sex when one is 18 and the other a few weeks off is VERY different to an 18 year old having sex with a 13 year old . FFS

And I'm not arguing the legalities as whether we like it or not thems the rules in that medieval cesspit. But to hammer it home as if implying MF is no better than a sexual predator is wrong.

She was two young to consent….for the brief time she was in Dubai on holiday!

Legally we know what their law say but ethically the comments on age here are laughable.

People are acting as if he is this wise old mature adult whereas she was a primary schoolchild whereas in reality they are of the same emotional maturity, only months apart in age and if they were at home nobody would be arguing she was far too young to make an informed choice.

I am not arguing the legality but just the framing of posters here: she was old enough to know what she wanted in the UK, went to Dubai for 5 days and immediately reverted to being a minor child and him a predator, then back to the UK when her mental age instantly increased and she knows what she wants again and is old enough to decide.

😂

@stuckdownahole

Radha Stirling is not legally qualified

She may not be a lawyer but reading up on her appears immensely qualified to do the work she does and is exceptionally well versed in ME affairs.

Why are you holding him to account for the girl’s
choice to engage in a relationship with him?

Who cares if she chose to sneak around that was her perogative.

Girls and women are not the property of their families and it is time you misogynists realised that.

If it turns out she was coerced in anyway that changes things.

But as of now we don't. And I don't agree their faith trumps her vindictive actions. Marcus' family are victims too. I'm not sure I would not panic if I was them and likely do the wrong thing because id wonder why the fuck another mum would do this. Any guilt you imagine she feels due to her faith is not on him or his family.

Again - I really hope your kids don't fuck up in a foreign country.

But there is a demonstrable mental age difference with a 13 year old.
The fact that people feel the need to make it an extreme age gap shows that people are aware their position is weak.

It’s not that it would have been legal in the UK it is that they are essentially the same age.

it would be akin to a 16 year old Cuban holidaymaker having sex with a 15 year old holidaymaker in the UK and I don’t think anybody would be calling for the 16 year old to be imprisoned. I certainly would not.

Oh wow. So MF and his family have some responsibility for honour killings now?

Fuck me.

That be link has nothing to do with the story of a 17 year old choosing who she dates and you insisting she was the property of her family no this he needed their express consent to date her.

Your attitude towards the freedom of this 17 year old to live her not under the right control of her family is disturbing. Two teens dating is disrespecting nobody.

Why is his family accountable for her family?

Why is she not accountable for her own family? Why is she not also said to being disrespecting her family?

You posting an article about an honour killing to criticise his family and defend hers is odd. Their alleged faith (and you have no idea what their faith is) is irrespective as to whether they get to date each other

Thats racists I’m afraid, they aren’t actually capable of rational thought, the best thing to do is to ignore them.

It has every thing to do with cultrural norms and understanding how your selfish actions can harm others. Especially if you start raping a minor of another faith, behind their parents back.

I never thought I would see the day when a Mumsnetter blames innocent people for the twisted mindset of those who carry out honour killings but here we are.

I agree. I know someone who has been her client but not for anything that received media coverage. Detained In Dubai are highly selective about which cases they take on; if you are in jail there for fraud because you are actually a fraudster, they won't help.

How are two being choosing to date each other being selfish?

Selfish to whom?

And why does she hold zero responsibility for her own choice? Why is it his wider family to blame for being ok with them dating and not her family to blame for being the kind of violent bigots that would carry out an honour killing?

By placing all accountability on him and criticising his family for not expressly getting permission from hers you are inadvertently suggesting you see her as the property of her family.

Also nobody has been raped her allegedly being of a different faith is neither here nor there.

Interfaith relationships are perfectly fine.