18-year-old British man tried in Dubai for having sexual intercourse with 17-year-old girl

A date has been set for the Dubai trial of an 18-year-old Briton who had sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old British girl in the Emirate while the couple were on holiday with their families, the Dubai Public Prosecution Office has said. he says.

Marcus Fakana, from Tottenham, north London, has embarked on a secret holiday romance with another Londoner who turns 18 in September, according to UK-based campaign group Prisoner in Dubai.

The Dubai government said: “Under UAE law, the girl is classified as a legal minor and, in accordance with internationally accepted procedures, her mother, who is her legal guardian, filed a complaint.”

The hearing is scheduled for December 9.

Ms Stirling, founder and chief executive of Detained in Dubai, an international authority on UAE law that helps foreigners abroad, said Mr Fakana and his parents were “extremely disturbed” by the events.

He told BBC London that the case was “unique” because the “age difference” between the two people involved was “very small”.

He continued: “This is clearly a case of two older teenagers, both the same age, who were caught because a mother reported this behavior.”

Ms Stirling added that Mr Fakana’s parents had to return to London.

Mr Fakana had previously said: “I pray this nightmare is over and I will be home for Christmas.”

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