Briton, 18, released from Dubai jail after receiving royal pardon
BREAKING NEWS: Marcus Fakana, the 18 year old British tourist jailed in Dubai over a holiday romance is FREE! He was granted a royal pardon following a lengthy campaign, He arrived safely home in the UK on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/GegMzeCzQu
— Radha Stirling (@RadhaStirling) July 7, 2025
'We believe this case highlights the urgent need for expedited legal processes for foreign nationals and safeguards against unnecessary custodial sentences.'
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.
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 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been contacted for comment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
British teen jailed in Dubai for consensual sex returns to UK
A British teenager who was jailed in Dubai after a consensual holiday romance has returned home following his release from prison, the Foreign Office has confirmed. Marcus Fakana, 19, from Tottenham, north London, was given a royal pardon for his early release from the al-Awir prison in the United Arab Emirates. He arrived back in the UK on Thursday. In December last year, the apprentice builder, then aged 18, was sentenced to one year in jail after having sex with a 17-year-old from the UK who was on holiday with her parents. Sex with anyone under the age of 18 is an offence in the conservative Gulf state. Fakana was given an 'Eid pardon', which can be issued by the monarch or president as a gesture of compassion during the religious holidays. • Facing jail in Dubai was hell — but I'm going back in two weeks The campaign group Detained in Dubai, which has been campaigning for his release, confirmed Fakana was 'officially pardoned' by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and prime minister of the UAE. 'Marcus should never have been put through this,' Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, said. '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.' Sex with under-18s is an offence in Dubai ALAMY The group previously criticised David Lammy, the foreign secretary and Fakana's local MP, for being reluctant to help. The Foreign Office had said it was assisting with the case. Fakana had joined his parents for a short holiday on August 26 last year when he met a 17-year-old Londoner staying at the same hotel. The girl's mother is alleged to have reported the relationship to Dubai police after returning to the UK and seeing pictures and chats on her daughter's phone. Dubai police arrested Fakana at his hotel. The girl, who was just one month short of her 18th birthday at the time of the incident, would have been arrested had she remained in the emirate. • Marcus Fakana: I pray I'll be deported from Dubai 'Marcus is back where he belongs,' Stirling said. 'But no one should have to endure this. He was 18 at the time and the British woman involved is now 18 too. 'Dubai could have chosen to fine and to deport him. Instead, the 18-year-old was sentenced to one year in prison.' Speaking about Fakana, Stirling added: 'He is so grateful for all of the support he received throughout this painful situation. Marcus will take a short time to recover before telling his story in his own words.' A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'He was released on an Eid pardon last week. We understand he wanted to get back to the UK without media attention and to see his family. We supported him and were in contact with them.'
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Leader Live
July 7 attacks were watershed moment for head of Met's counter-terrorism squad
In 2005 Commander Dominic Murphy had been an officer in Hertfordshire for 12 years and had trained as a bomb scene examiner before the attacks on the transport system that killed 52 people and injured hundreds more. When he saw the horror unfolding on the television, he 'did that thing that police officers shouldn't really do' and headed to London before he had been officially deployed. Mr Murphy told the PA news agency: 'I was an officer who could be called into London or some other part of the country to help SO13 (former Met anti-terrorist branch) if they were responding to a terrorist attack, or conduct searches or support them in some way. 'And I remember sitting in the special branch office, which is our intelligence unit in Hertfordshire, and I was watching this unfold on TV, and I did that thing that police officers shouldn't really do. 'I didn't wait to be deployed. I spoke to my line manager and grabbed a car and all my kit and equipment and drove straight down to London to be here as quickly as I could.' The compassion shown by the officers investigating the bombings and the speed at which they worked inspired him to spend the rest of his career in counter-terrorism. Mr Murphy said: 'I arrived in our forensic management team. 'These were the officers and staff that were leading the response at the scenes to gather the evidence and recover those that had been unfortunately killed in the incident. 'I arrived to something I would describe as a really high pace of activity, the sort of activity you would expect policing to be doing at a terrible incident like this, but of course, this was on a scale and a type of incident we had never seen. 'I was struck by all of those counter-terrorism officers from SO13 that I met, their professionalism, their commitment to finding who was responsible for this attack, their overwhelming compassion for victims… that compassion extended to how they recovered those that were deceased from the attacks. 'I was struck by the end of that first day to see the professionalism and the pace they were working at. 'I never wanted to work anywhere else. 'I really only ever wanted to work with this group of people who I thought were some of the most impressive people I'd ever seen, and just the way that commitment portrayed itself to their service to the public and the victims was overwhelming for me. 'So I had been a Hertfordshire officer for nearly 12 years at that point, but I never really went back to Hertfordshire. 'I stayed here then, and have been here in counter-terrorism for the rest of my career.' He specialised in body recovery, and has been deployed abroad to help investigate several atrocities involving British victims or interests, including the 2015 Tunisian beach attacks as well as tragedies in Algeria, Yemen and Sudan.
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
July 7 attacks were watershed moment for head of Met's counter-terrorism squad
In 2005 Commander Dominic Murphy had been an officer in Hertfordshire for 12 years and had trained as a bomb scene examiner before the attacks on the transport system that killed 52 people and injured hundreds more. When he saw the horror unfolding on the television, he 'did that thing that police officers shouldn't really do' and headed to London before he had been officially deployed. Mr Murphy told the PA news agency: 'I was an officer who could be called into London or some other part of the country to help SO13 (former Met anti-terrorist branch) if they were responding to a terrorist attack, or conduct searches or support them in some way. 'And I remember sitting in the special branch office, which is our intelligence unit in Hertfordshire, and I was watching this unfold on TV, and I did that thing that police officers shouldn't really do. 'I didn't wait to be deployed. I spoke to my line manager and grabbed a car and all my kit and equipment and drove straight down to London to be here as quickly as I could.' The compassion shown by the officers investigating the bombings and the speed at which they worked inspired him to spend the rest of his career in counter-terrorism. Mr Murphy said: 'I arrived in our forensic management team. 'These were the officers and staff that were leading the response at the scenes to gather the evidence and recover those that had been unfortunately killed in the incident. 'I arrived to something I would describe as a really high pace of activity, the sort of activity you would expect policing to be doing at a terrible incident like this, but of course, this was on a scale and a type of incident we had never seen. 'I was struck by all of those counter-terrorism officers from SO13 that I met, their professionalism, their commitment to finding who was responsible for this attack, their overwhelming compassion for victims… that compassion extended to how they recovered those that were deceased from the attacks. 'I was struck by the end of that first day to see the professionalism and the pace they were working at. 'I never wanted to work anywhere else. 'I really only ever wanted to work with this group of people who I thought were some of the most impressive people I'd ever seen, and just the way that commitment portrayed itself to their service to the public and the victims was overwhelming for me. 'So I had been a Hertfordshire officer for nearly 12 years at that point, but I never really went back to Hertfordshire. 'I stayed here then, and have been here in counter-terrorism for the rest of my career.' He specialised in body recovery, and has been deployed abroad to help investigate several atrocities involving British victims or interests, including the 2015 Tunisian beach attacks as well as tragedies in Algeria, Yemen and Sudan.
