A British teenager imprisoned in Dubai for engaging in a consensual relationship with a 17-year-old girl has returned home after receiving a royal pardon.
Marcus Fakana, 19, was released last week and has since reunited with his family in Tottenham, north London.
Fakana was jailed in December 2024, receiving a one-year sentence after United Arab Emirates authorities were alerted to his relationship with a fellow British teenager during a family holiday in Dubai last summer.
Though the relationship was consensual, UAE law stipulates the age of consent as 18.
The case emerged when the girl’s mother, upon discovering private messages between the pair after their return to the UK, reported Fakana to authorities in the UAE.
According to Detained in Dubai, a legal advocacy group that supported Fakana during his ordeal, his release was granted as part of a customary Eid pardon by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. The pardon, issued during the Muslim festival, is a traditional gesture of clemency extended to certain prisoners.
“He’s overwhelmed,” said Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai, who has been closely involved with Fakana’s case. “It’s always very difficult when someone’s suddenly released after six months. For a young man, a boy, really, as I would see him… It’s just unfathomable for most people how long it would take to recover from such a situation.”
Stirling described the emotional toll on Fakana and his loved ones, adding, “He was absolutely very nervous, of course, and his whole family too. But I mean, once you’ve been told ‘buy that plane ticket’, there’s obviously a sense of relief at that point. His family is just over the moon to have him back early.”
Fakana’s family trip to Dubai in August 2024 turned into a legal ordeal after a “holiday romance blossomed” with a girl from London, according to Detained in Dubai. The girl, who has since turned 18, was reportedly in the same school year as Fakana, leading him to believe she was also of legal age.
Stirling criticised the decision to prosecute, stating, “I think the law saying that an 18-year-old can’t engage in relations with someone who’s just a few weeks younger than him is quite strict and perhaps shouldn’t be applied to tourists.”
“Furthermore,” she added, “Marcus didn’t know that she was under 18; they were in the same school year and it seemed fair and reasonable that he assumed her to be 18 as well. So I think again under those circumstances he shouldn’t have been prosecuted.”
She also urged caution for families visiting the UAE, saying, “Parents need to be aware that teens can be charged in the UAE for behaviour that would not be considered criminal at home, whether that’s a relationship, social media activity, or even drinking alcohol.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, which had been supporting Fakana during his detention, confirmed his release under the Eid pardon. Officials also noted that he chose to return home quietly to avoid media attention.
