British teenager facing 20 years in prison for having sex with a girl on holiday recorded false information, campaigners claim – World News

Dubai police deliberately interfered with the details of a British teenager who faces a 20-year prison sentence after a holiday romance with a 17-year-old girl, campaigners have claimed.

18-year-old Marcus Fakana was vacationing in the UAE city with his family in August. I encountered serious legal problems following a consensual encounter with another British holidaymaker.

It is said that the girl is hiding relationship kept secret due to strict rules parentsbut Marcus gladly explained the details of this to his relatives.

After his family returned EnglandThe mother of Marcus’s holiday companion discovered the couple had sex after her daughter had intercourse. telephone.

Authorities in Dubai were alerted and Marcus was arrested in his hotel room and held at Al Barsha Police Station for three days.

The relationship would have been legal if it had taken place in London (where both Marcus and the girl live), but this is not the case in Dubai.

The law was recently changed to allow tourists to have sex outside marriage, but this both participants are 18 years of age or older.

Marcus Fakana faces 20 years in prison in Dubai (Family Statement)

state The Dubai official 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.”

Marcus right now He faces up to 20 years in prison – and cops could have further inflated his potential sentence for significant errors, campaigners say.

The ‘Detained in Dubai’ pressure group announced that two major errors were deliberately made in the prosecution file of the 18-year-old construction apprentice.

Both Marcus’s age and nationality were incorrectly recorded in these documents, as they incorrectly stated that Marcus was one year older and that he was of Pakistani rather than British nationality.

Because his age was inflated, the case could have been referred to a high court in Dubai that had the power to impose an even harsher sentence. sentence on the young.

For the UK, this is more like a case heard in the Crown Court rather than Magistrates.

Marcus’ nationality is also listed as Pakistani, indicating he could face more serious punishment, according to Detainees in Dubai punishment.

Both of these errors were corrected in prosecution case notes, but campaigners believe local police may have made the mistake deliberately. the Daily Mail reports.

British teenager to appear in court in December (Getty Stock Photo)

Radha Stirling, founder of the UK-based Prisoners in Dubai organisation, has been helping Marcus’ family through the complex case and details why they believe the mistake was not unintentional.

“Marcus told them his age, but they recorded it as 19,” he said.

“Instead of a small difference between the two, a two-year gap looks much worse.

“This has now been rectified and the court will see to it.

“The UAE is racist and, according to the court, it was deliberate to portray his nationality as Pakistani as this would look much worse than that of the British.”

A spokesman said the Marcus family had appealed to the UK government for help and were now being assisted by the Foreign Office.

The teenager’s trial will begin on December 9, and the Dubai prosecutor’s office said this date was “at the request of the defendant’s legal counsel”.

The office emphasized that they are ‘committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring impartial judicial proceedings’.

Stirling added: “I expect that when he appears in court he will be fined and then deported, but his lawyer is not so sure.”

A. GoFundMe set up Help Marcus with his current expenses and raised more than £30,000 in just a few days to fund his legal defence.