Major update after British teen jailed in Dubai over ‘holiday romance’

Marcus Fakana, now 19, met the fellow Londoner while visiting the United Arab Emirates with his parents in August last year and a “holiday romance blossomed”, according to campaign group Detained in Dubai, which brought widespread attention to the case.

It was the girl’s mother who reported the teens’ relationship to Dubai police, reportedly once her family was back in the UK and messages were discovered between the young pair.

Unlike in the teens’ own country where the age of consent is 16 years old, it is 18 in the UAE.

Police arrested Mr Fakana at his hotel and he was sentenced in December to a year’s imprisonment.

Now in a major update, it has been revealed Mr Fakana is back in the UK after receiving a royal pardon from Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Detained in Dubai said Mr Fakana arrived back in the UK on July 3.

The campaign group said Mr Fakana did not know the girl was under 18 years old at the time of their consensual relationship, and that she was just months younger than him. She is now 18.

Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling said Mr Fakana “was nervous until the plane left the tarmac”.

“Marcus should never have been put through this,” she said in a statement.

“He was supposed to spend a short few days with his family but ended up spending nearly a year in the tourist destination. We are thrilled that after an intensive campaign, he was officially pardoned and is home safe, surrounded by those who love him.”

Ms Stirling added: “Dubai could have chosen to fine and to deport him. Instead, the 18 year old was sentenced to one year in prison. The impact on his life has been severe and there was no need for him to endure such trauma”.

Speaking to the BBC, she warned parents to be aware their children could be charged in Dubai for behaviour that would not be considered criminal in their home country.

In a previous statement, the government of Dubai had said: “Under UAE law, the girl is legally classified as a minor and, in accordance with procedures recognised internationally, her mother — being the legal guardian — filed the complaint.

“Dubai’s legal system is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring impartial judicial proceedings.”

Dubai is the largest city in the United Arab Emirates and is the home base of international airline Emirates.

More Australians visited Dubai last year than ever before. There was a new record of 296,000 overnight visitors from Australia in 2024, which was also up 6 per cent year-on-year, according to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.

Overall, Dubai had a record 18.72 million international overnight visitors in 2024.

Al Maktoum International Airport has plans to become the largest in the world by 2030, with a passenger capacity of 260 million annually.

In addition to tourists, the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan projects the population will grow by 5.8 million people by the year 2040 – from 3.3 million in 2021 to 7.8 million.

A significant portion of this population growth is expected to be expats, who benefit from a tax-free income policy.