Overview

• Marcus Fakana, an 18-year-old from London, was arrested in Dubai after having a consensual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, also from London, during a family vacation in August.
• The girl's mother reported the relationship to Dubai authorities after discovering chats and photos on her daughter's phone upon her return to the UK.
• Fakana was held for three days at Al Barsha Police Station without being allowed to contact his parents and is now out on bail but unable to leave Dubai.
• Under UAE law, consensual sex is only legal if both participants are over 18, though the relationship would not have been illegal in the UK.
• Fakana's family, struggling with mounting legal and accommodation costs, has called on UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to intervene in the case.