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 😥

My issue as I've posted a million times is with the fact all this came about because a mother made a report out of spite.

I don't agree with prosecutions without nuance. I like our policing by consent in this country. It's not always gotten right but it wouldn't have a boy a few months older than a girl banged up in horrendous circumstances for having consensual sex.

Yes the heavy handed application of the law without nuance.

It’s so hypocritical anyway, since technically there isn’t an age of consent in UAE. Extra marital sex is forbidden…. except where they decriminalised it in some circumstances so that all the western tourists who aren’t married are hopefully not committing crimes for which they could be subjected to cruel, barbaric and inhuman punishment.

It’s actually still possible to marry under the age of 18 (from puberty) so it’s not about the wellbeing of young girls at all.

@PandoraSox thank you, I might have alluded to what that poster wrote in my deleted post. I may have been troll hunting too, I won’t repeat what I said verbatim just in case.

I think another thread would be really good, I think I said apart from a few notable posters there seems to be so much sympathy and support for Marcus on this thread.

edit - police ref to a different thread and a different poster!

@itsgettingweird

"My issue as I've posted a million times is with the fact all this came about because a mother made a report out of spite. "

How does anyone know that the mother reported the false rape allegation out of spite?

Personally I think it's more likely that the girl claimed she had been raped because she didn't want to admit to her presumably strict mother that the sex was consensual.

Once the false claim of rape had been reported the Dubai authorities were duty bound to investigate. Once they had quickly dismissed it as rape they then had an admitted case of underage sex which under Dubai law they were obliged to prosecute.

Quite

There's suggestions the age of consent in Afghanistan could be lowered to 9. Meaning men can legally rape children. Provided it's their spouse.

But hey. Their country their rules.

Please can people stop comparing this case to say, a 45 year old non national in the uk having sex with a 14 year old British girl?

It's really not the same.

Exactly- it's completely different and clearly wrong for a non UK national to come to the UK and commit a sex crime by having sex someone under the age of consent simply because it is legal and not a crime in their home country.

Whereas for a UK national to go abroad and break the law by having sex with someone say aged 17 when that country's age of consent is 18 , is perfectly acceptable because the age of consent in the UK is 16 and every other country should know that UK laws are better so their laws should not apply to Brits abroad.

@tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz

"There's suggestions the age of consent in Afghanistan could be lowered to 9. Meaning men can legally rape children. Provided it's their spouse.

But hey. Their country their rules."

But as much as we in the West find it abhorrent it is still their culture their country and their rules. The West did attempt to improve things in Afghanistan but it didn't prove too popular in both Afghanistan and also in the West itself.

I equally find it abhorrent that slavery still exists in Sudan and Mauritania today but other than occupation and a regime change there is not a lot another country can do about this.

What a silly remark. The 'really not the same' comment is clearly in response to the huge age gap between a 14-year-old and a 45-year-old, and the way it would be a vastly unequal and predatory relationship, not to different ages of consent in other countries. A proper hypothetical comparison to Marcus's case would involve a non-British boy of 16 having sex with a 15-year-old in the UK and being imprisoned for a year as a result.

It’s on the (London) news now and there’s a protest and march in London.

1day
The age thing ... what myself and several others are upset about is that many people are using the age thing to imply MF is the same as your garden variety sex pest. And using that previous age example as some sort of gotcha. It really isn't and makes those people look a bit sanctimonious and stupid.

The awful laws thing ... I get there's lots of horrible stuff happening in other places and there's not lots we can do about it. To just state "their country their rules" for me displays a huge lack of compassion and empathy. I'm guessing many of us are mothers. Or aunties. Or godmothers. Anyone of our kids can fuck up so easily abroad. They may not be children but they aren't all yet worldly wise.

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

Let’s hope it does some good although I have my doubts in light of some views that his family should have been contrite and that Marcus should have apologised profusely 🤷🏼‍♀️
To me it seems he’s being made an example of, hideously unfair imo.

I'm not super familiar with this case bar the basics but is it possible that her dd originally told her mum it was non consensual-possibly fearing her parents reaction- and once the claim was made to authorities there was no going back because it was still an offence even if it was consensual?

I do t think it's "ok" to break the law in another country.

I think in this instance the punishment doesn't for the crime. And it was reported for punishment not because MF had actually done anything wrong.

Especially because we know the type of sentence he will experience.

I personally prefer a nuanced approach. Even a fine I would have said acceptable. But he's about to have his whole future ruined and that's not proportionate to his crime.

@tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz

"Anyone of our kids can fuck up so easily abroad. They may not be children but they aren't all yet worldly wise."

Absolutely and most likely MF didn't even realise he had broken the law in Dubai and if there had not been a false allegation of rape the matter would most likely never come to light.

But the fact is that he did break the law in Dubai and as a sovereign nation Dubai is perfectly entitled to enforce their own laws.

If there is any positive about this situation it is that at least now people / tourists are aware of the strict laws on sexual activity in Dubai and can either abide by them or just not visit the country.

@Lavender14

"I'm not super familiar with this case bar the basics but is it possible that her dd originally told her mum it was non consensual-possibly fearing her parents reaction- and once the claim was made to authorities there was no going back because it was still an offence even if it was consensual?"

That's my belief as well. Sadly once the investigation quickly showed that the accusation of rape were false and was in fact consensual but under age sex then the Dubai authorities were obliged to prosecute MF.

If that's the case then I really can't see how the mum has done anything wrong and it would be awful to make her out to be a villain in what is just an awful situation.

Why have they got their faces covered up?

He is a convicted sex offender. Wrong hill, IMO.

@Lavender14

"If that's the case then I really can't see how the mum has done anything wrong and it would be awful to make her out to be a villain in what is just an awful situation"

We will never know the truth and can only make unsubstantiated guesses.

Meanwhile MF has been thrown under a bus and it doesn't look like either the mother or daughter will do anything about it.

To clarify "he is a convicted sex offender under the laws of Dubai but not under the laws of the UK". And yes the offence did take place in Dubai.

Agree with all the comments on the spiteful bitch mother, shitty Dubai laws and all the "why would anyone go to Dubai!?" comments, as I feel the same.

However, one thing that's stumped me about this... how did a warehouse worker and a cleaner afford a holiday to Dubai in the first place!? The media are making such a big deal about their occupations, but their careers and the trip aren't marrying up.

However, one thing that's stumped me about this... how did a warehouse worker and a cleaner afford a holiday to Dubai in the first place!?

Erm - maybe 'saving up' or a small premium bonds/ lottery win or an inheritance etc

Can think of lots of ways they might have afforded a one-off expensive holiday in Dubai on modest incomes

The link wouldn't work but I looked this up. Absolutely horrendous! Cannot believe the girl's mother reported it to the Dubai police!! I really hope our government come through for him, he does NOT deserve to spend 12 months in prison - if the girl had been a few years younger then I could perhaps understand, but this is ludicrous.

People on lower incomes can save up and go on holiday, that isn’t unusual.