18-year-old British national on bail for having sex with 17-year-old girl in Dubai

An 18-year-old British man jailed for a year for having sex with a 17-year-old British girl in Dubai has been granted bail, a campaign group has said.

Marcus Fakana, from Tottenham, north London, began a secret holiday romance with another Londoner, now 18, in September.

After returning home and seeing the photos and chats, the girl’s mother reported the affair to Dubai Police, who arrested Fakana from his hotel. It is illegal to have sex with another person under the age of 18 in Dubai.

On Wednesday, the campaign group Detainees in Dubai described the verdict as “utterly outrageous” and said Fakana would appeal against the “unfair” sentence.

The two teenagers were on holiday with their parents from Britain in the Emirates, where the age of consent is 16.

Fakana had told his family about the romance but the girl had not.

The Dubai government previously said: “Under UAE law, the girl is legally classified as a minor, and in accordance with internationally recognized procedures, her mother – being the legal guardian – lodged a complaint Is.”

It added: “Dubai’s legal system is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring fair judicial proceedings.”

Ms Sterling, founder and chief executive of Detained in Dubai, which helps foreigners abroad and is an international authority on UAE law, told BBC Faqana she was “shocked” by the “unfathomable” sentence.

She said: “This doesn’t need a year in jail, this doesn’t need to break up this family and ruin the life of this 18-year-old young man.

“I am confident that, on appeal, the custodial sentence will be overturned and he will be allowed to return home.

“The question is how long will it take and how much effort will it take, is this British intervention or public support in telling Dubai this is unacceptable?”

The 18-year-old’s parents returned to London after the holidays without their son to resume his jobs in a warehouse and as a cleaner to help pay for his temporary accommodation.

A UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said, “We are supporting a British man in the UAE and are in contact with his family.”