An 18-year-old man has been sentenced to one year in a Dubai jail for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, a campaign group has said.
Marcus Fakana, of Tottenham, “feels abandoned by the British government and Keir Starmer”, Detained in Dubai said.
Radha Stirling, the group’s chief executive, said the sentence was an “utter disgrace” and “an embarrassment to Britain”, adding that “the UK has prioritised trade deals over people’s lives”.
Mr Fakana was with his parents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from the end of August when a “holiday romance blossomed” with another Londoner, who has since turned 18, the campaign group previously said.
After returning to the UK and seeing pictures and chats, the girl’s mother reported the relationship to Dubai police, who then arrested Mr Fakana at his hotel, it is alleged.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting a British man in the UAE and are in contact with his family.”
In a statement posted on social media, Ms Stirling said: “The UK was once the most diplomatically influential Western country in the Middle East.
“Now, we are seeing countries like Canada, Malaysia, Ireland and the US leaving the UK way behind.
“The Labour government should be ashamed they have not secured the freedom of a teenage tourist. It wasn’t a difficult job.”
Ms Stirling said Mr Fakana, who has been held in Dubai since September, will appeal against his sentence and was “desperately hoping to come home this week”.
In Dubai, if an adult has a sexual relationship with a person under 18, they can be prosecuted for having a sexual relationship with a minor.
The family have issued a plea to the ruler of Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to spare Mr Fakana.
Ms Stirling added: “I urge young people and parents to reconsider holidays in Dubai where so many people find themselves at risk of unfair and lengthy detention in prisons notorious for human rights abuses and torture. Holidaymakers should book elsewhere until Marcus is free.”
Mr Fakana has received backing from members of the public, with a Change.org petition calling on the Government to offer him stronger support receiving more than 40,000 signatures.
A fundraiser set up by Mr Fakana’s family entitled “Help bring Marcus home” has raised more than £35,000 – to which Game Of Thrones actor Kit Harington gave £500, according to GoFundMe.
