Briton, 18, released from Dubai jail after receiving royal pardon
The group's chief executive, Radha Stirling, said Mr Fakana 'is currently recovering', adding in a statement: 'His case has attracted significant public attention due to concerns about the criminalisation of tourists and disproportionate sentencing.
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.
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where Tom added the pair took part in "prayers and pints at the idyllic Church-owned inn in the Highlands".
A video shows Ben and Tom on their 1,000-mile tandem bike challenge during which they ate, drank and slept in pubs. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Two comedians have completed a 1,000 mile journey from Land's End to John O'Groats on a tandem bike to save British pubs - stopping at nearly 100. Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham, together known as the 'Thinking Drinkers', finished their 'Great British Pub Ride' on July 3. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The pair began their journey on a two-wheeled, two-man tandem bike on Friday June 20 - and for two weeks only ate, drank, slept and stopped in British boozers. They decided to embark on the adventure after learning from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) that around six pubs are closing every week in the UK. Tom said: "We've always loved pubs but the overwhelming warmth, generosity and goodwill that we've received on this journey has blown us away. 'It's been an incredible experience and we've met so many wonderful people on both sides of the bar'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad During the two-week pub pilgrimage, Tom and Ben cycled over 1,000 miles in total - and they visited at least four pubs every day. The pair said they had a wild experience, as they bumped into 'The Stig' in his local, enjoyed their first ever 'Wigan Kebab', stumbled into a thrash metal music festival in the highest pub in Scotland, and had some cake at the remotest pub in mainland Britain. Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham, together known as the 'Thinking Drinkers' at John O'Groats on their Great British Pub Ride. | Deft Productions / SWNS Ben and Tom rode on a tandem bike which they borrowed, yet had 'hardly ridden', from a man they met down the pub. Ben said: 'It's been a brutal bike ride, full of ups and downs, but it's nothing compared to the very real challenges facing the people running pubs up and down the country. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'People think pubs are just a place for a pint but, from Cornwall to the Cairngorms, we've seen that they are so much more than that - one in three visits to a pub doesn't involve an alcoholic drink. "At a time of increasing isolation and a growing mental health epidemic, pubs are proven antidotes to loneliness where people can forge genuine social networks - not online ones.' On their journey, Ben and Tom encountered publicans who provide yoga classes for the local community, warm spaces in winter for the elderly, barbershops and package delivery services - to name but a few. The pair said some of their favourite pubs they visited were the Salutation Inn, in Ham, Berkeley, as Tom described the boozer as a "wonderful wet led pub with great drinks and a lovely guy running it". Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham, together known as the 'Thinking Drinkers' at Havener's Bar and Grill in Fowley, Cornwall. | Deft Productions / SWNS The most remote pub in Britain His other favourite was the Crask Inn, in Lairg, the most remote boozer in Britain - where Tom added the pair took part in "prayers and pints at the idyllic Church-owned inn in the Highlands". Ben said he loved the Barkley Tavern, in Springfield, Wigan, because "the owner Debbie and her family breathed life back into a derelict boozer and provide so much help to their local community". He said: "I also enjoyed the Old Success Inn, in Penzance, as it was a cracking Cornish pub overlooking Sennen Cove - where our adventures began with some morning yoga on the terrace. "An instant hit was also the Kings Arms in South Zeal: a classic traditional village pub filled with welcoming locals and a lovely atmosphere." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ben and Tom said their ride helped them to understand the day-to-day difficulties publicans and landlords face; ranging from ever-increasing energy bills, business rates, impractical environmental levies and industry taxation levels far in excess of other European countries. Tom said: 'The costs for pubs to simply do business are far too high - based on turnover and profit, no other business sector in the economy is taxed so heavily and unjustly.'
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