A British teenager who was imprisoned in Dubai after she had sex with another British teenager, only died three months after he had been released. And the woman who helped secure his freedom has spoken about the tragedy
A British teenager who was locked up in a Dubai prison after she had sex with a girl died tragically, only three months after his release.
Marcus Fakana, 19, died yesterday in a horrible car accident in Tottenham, North London, according to a legal aid agency established in the VK who represented him in prison during his time.
Marcus, from Tottenham, stayed with family in the United Arab Emirates City when he hit a holiday romanticism with another teenager, who also came from London, in the Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah.
The couple had consensual sex, but because the girl was a few weeks of her 18th birthday, the then 18-year-old Marcus had serious consequences under the hard legal system of the VAE. There is no age of permission in Dubai, but all sex outside of marriage is illegal.
Read more: Teen Marcus Fakana was imprisoned in Dubai because of sex with girls dies in crash after release
After returning vacation and seeing photos and chats between the couple last year, the girl’s mother reported the relationship with the Dubai police, who then arrested Marcus in his hotel.
Earlier talking about the summer flash, Marcus told The Mirror: “We had a great time. I couldn’t wait to see her again. Then the police knocked on our hotel door.”
For three long days, Marcus was held on the “notorious” police station of Al Barsha, where, according to the campaign group in Dubai, he was unable to call or even talk to his concerned parents. And from there it got worse.
After he was arrested, it was expected that Marcus would be given a suspended sentence for consensual law and fly home. Instead, a judge ordered that the construction student is locked up for a year in the notorious Al-Awir prison.
In December 2024, Marcus stated that he was “shocked without faith” by the sentence. Rather spoken against held in Dubai while he was on bail, Marcus argued for grace of Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, the absolute ruler of Dubai, and said he was not going to violate laws.
He begged: “My family and I are devastated and in shock. I never intended to violate the law. It didn’t come to mind at the time, and I am sorry. I ask his highness, Sheikh Mohammed already Maktoum, to forgive me and forgive me. Give me back my life.”
Marcus spent six months behind the bars of the infamous Al-Awir prison, where he spent his birthday and New Year far from home, in “Squalid” and “dangerous” circumstances.
Family and friends at home led a passionate campaign for the Dubai authorities and the British government to guarantee his release, with the support of legal lawyers.
On July 3, he received a royal pardon from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and returned a short time later to his family in London. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Marcus had supported prior to his release “on an Eid Pardon”.
But the teenager’s life is devastating, just a few months after he found freedom. Marcus died early on Friday morning after he was involved in a collision, according to his family.
And Radha Stirling, CEO of detained in Dubai, the law firm that secured the release of Marcus, said about the tragic news: “He had shown strength and courage and he was excited and optimistic about his future.
“It is devastating that Marcus’s journey was demolished so short after he started rebuilding his life.”
She added: “His loss is a painful memory of how precious life is and how unnecessary imprisonment robs people of time that they can never regain. Every day of freedom is important.”
A broken family member has also shared their destruction. Writing on social media, said Marcus’ Aunt: “I fought for you to be released from prison in Dubai, I did my best and this is how it ended?”
One person who commented on her post said: “Too young to die. When I asked that sad news tonight. My heart just sang in pain, felt useless.”
Rather talked about the release of Marcus and the suffering he experienced, Radha described the teenager as an “extraordinary young man caught in a deeply unjust system”.
The CEO said: “Marcus should never have endured this. He would spend a few days with his family, but in the end spend almost a year in the tourist destination. We are very happy that after an intensive campaign he was an official grace and is at home, surrounded by those who love him.
“This was an extraordinary young man trapped in a deep unjust system. We thank everyone who stood at Marcus and helped him take home.”
While celebrating that Marcus is now “back where he belongs”, Radha emphasized the “trauma” with which he was left behind, because of the “serious” impact of the decision.
She added: “Marcus is back where he belongs where he belongs. But no one should tolerate this. He was 18 at the time, and the British woman involved is now also 18, a fact that she did not disclose to him at the time. We hope that his story will cause a serious reconsideration of the travel advice from the United Kingdom and his engagement with the UAE.”
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