British teen Marcus Fakanda has surrendered himself to authorities successful the UAE and began his 1 twelvemonth jailhouse condemnation successful the notorious Al Awir situation aft having enactment with a 17-year-old miss successful the state successful September.
In a connection posted earlier entering prison, the pupil wrote: 'Thank you to everyone who has supported maine passim my fight.
'It's been a agelong combat but thing is hard with my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ guiding me. I'm grateful for each the radical who helped by donating to maine and my household of religion for supporting me.'
The 18-year-old was with his household successful the UAE erstwhile helium met and had enactment with the teenaged girl, besides from London. He present faces rotting successful a maximum-security jail.
Detained In Dubai, which represents Fakana, said the teen 'feels abandoned by the British government' pursuing the judgement, which it branded 'an utter disgrace' and 'an embarrassment to Britain'.
Radha Stirling, laminitis of the unit group, said: 'The constabulary had discretion to complaint him with a misdemeanour similar 'offensive behaviour' oregon similar, but chose to complaint him with the felony of enactment with an underage girl, the aforesaid instrumentality a 40 twelvemonth aged engaging successful enactment with a 14 twelvemonth aged would person been charged with.
'Although Marcus received the lowest statutory sentence, it is wide that this could person been handled much reasonably and the prosecutors could person exercised much discretion.
Rather than appealing and dragging the ordeal retired for perchance nary summation oregon adjacent a longer sentence, Marcus made the hard determination to crook himself successful to statesman his sentence.
Marcus Fakana had a weeklong vacation romance with the girl, besides British, but was arrested and detained aft her parent complained to the Dubai police. He has present been jailed
While the narration would person been ineligible successful the UK, nether Dubai instrumentality a 17-year-old is defined arsenic a child. The girl, from London, has since turned 18
'He ne'er imagined that helium would beryllium going to jailhouse for a vacation romance with a miss who was a fewer months younger, but is present the aforesaid age.
'It is conscionable shocking. His beingness is being ruined. Here we person 2 British tourists who were connected vacation successful a consensual narration and present 1 is going to jail.
'Dubai likes to marketplace itself arsenic a glamorous enactment destination, 1 for influencers yet they are jailing a British tourer for a thing that would not beryllium a transgression successful his ain state and ruining his life.'
Fakana has been prevented from leaving Dubai since his apprehension successful August. He volition service his year-long condemnation astatine the al-Awir jailhouse which is besides known arsenic the Dubai Central situation for men.
The notorious high-security situation houses decease enactment inmates and immoderate of Dubai's worst criminals - including terrorists, murderers and rapists.
Ms Sterling added: 'I did expect the British Government, arsenic different Governments person done, to measurement up and prevention 1 of their citizens from unjust sentencing.
'Marcus did plead guilty, but constabulary and prosecutors had a disturbing litany of details successful his record which ended up making it much than a misdemeanour and heard successful a higher court.
'They said helium was older than 19 and helium was from Pakistan. He was a British citizen. There were a batch errors deliberately to torment him.'
Sterling said helium present hoped the regularisation of Dubai could get progressive arsenic helium has done successful the past involving visitors who person fallen foul of their laws.
Marcus, a operation apprentice, was arrested successful August aft the parent of the miss helium had a concealed romance with filed a complaint astir Fakana to the Dubai authorities connected her instrumentality to the UK.
She had checked her daughter's telephone and discovered they had been sleeping together. Since returning from Dubai the miss has turned 18.
The household of Marcus Fakana, from Tottenham, London, person been near devastated by his situation sentence, sources claimed
Pictured is the high-security al-Awir Central Prison wherever Fakana volition service his sentence. The jailhouse houses immoderate of Dubai's worst offenders, including murderer, terrorists and rapists
Radha Stirling, laminitis of British-based assistance radical Detained In Dubai, slammed the authorities for not doing much to assistance the teen, branding the concern an 'embarrassment' to Britain
Under strict UAE instrumentality lone tourists aged implicit 18 are legally allowed to slumber together. In the UK helium would not person been considered to person committed immoderate crime.
Ms Stirling blasted the 'unreasonable' condemnation and slammed Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy for not doing capable to assistance the teen.
'Marcus feels abandoned by the British authorities and Keir Starmer who conscionable spent the play successful the UAE,' she wrote successful a blistering tweet connected X.
'While radical similar JD Vance and the Irish authorities person been capable to resoluteness cases of injustice and bring their citizens home, the UK has prioritised commercialized deals implicit people's lives. This is genuinely abhorrent.
'David Lammy and Keir Starmer person failed Marcus. This is an embarrassment to Britain... the Labour authorities should beryllium ashamed they person not secured the state of a teenage tourist. It wasn't a hard job.'
Ms Stirling said Fakana's parents 'don't cognize what to do' and had to instrumentality to London without their lad to resume enactment arsenic a cleaner and successful a warehouse.
'He was desperately hoping to travel location this week but prosecutorial mishandling successful the archetypal stages of the lawsuit meant it wasn't heard arsenic a misdemeanour erstwhile it should person been,' she added.
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