Black British Teen, 18, On Trial In Dubai Over Alleged Romance With British Girl, 17

Dubai’s legal shift on premarital sex meets limits in case involving British teens

Marcus Fakana, of Tottenham, north London, allegedly had a secret romance with the unidentified girl in September, who has since turned 18, according to the BBC and U.K.-based campaign group Detained in Dubai.

Last year, the United Arab Emirates, or UAB, changed its laws to decriminalize consensual premarital sex. However, legal action can be enforced against a man or woman who engages in sexual activity with a minor under the age of 18, according to a UAE-based law firm.

In this case, the teen girl was labeled as a minor at the time she and Fakana’s alleged romance began.

“Under UAE law, the girl is legally classified as a minor, and in accordance with procedures recognised internationally, her mother — being the legal guardian — filed the complaint,” the government of Dubai said, per the BBC.

Discovery of alleged teen romance leads to arrest in Dubai

According to The Standard, the young girl’s mother allegedly discovered photos of and chats between the two teens after returning to the U.K. and reported it to Dubai police, who arrested Fakana at his hotel.

He spent three days at the Al Barsha Police Station, where he was denied a phone call and could not communicate with his parents, according to Detained in Dubai.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office released a statement and said:  “We are supporting a British man in the UAE and are in contact with his family,” per The Standard.

Detained in Dubai CEO criticizes the young girl’s mother for involving police in the matter

Radha Stirling, the founder and chief executive of Detained in Dubai, is helping Fakana with his case and called out the teen girl’s mother for filing the legal complaint against him.

18yr old Londoner detained in #Dubai and faces 20 years in jail over sex with a 17 year old Brit. Marcus and his family are calling on local MP, Rt Hon David Lammy for assistance. Please help Marcus @DavidLammy pic.twitter.com/AIEdSpZbt9

— Radha Stirling (@RadhaStirling) November 20, 2024

“This is clearly a very strict mother to involve police in a private matter that is completely legal in the country where she lives and where the children have grown up,” she told The Standard.

“Perhaps she wasn’t aware that she triggered the possibility of a young man of only 18 spending the next 20 years in prison,” she added.