David Lammy heeds pleas to help UK teenager going through 20 years in jail after being charged with intercourse crime in Dubai
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has finally acted on desperate pleas to aid a UK teenager charged with a sex crime in Dubai.
Mr Lammy has now spoken to Marcus Fakana, 18, who faces up to 20 years in jail for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old British girl during a holiday romance.
He had been held in a fetid cell after the girl’s mother saw pictures on her phone when she returned to Britain and reported him to Dubai police.
The girl has since turned 18 but under United Arab Emirates law, sex with someone under that age is an extremely serious offence.
Mr Lammy was criticised by human rights group Detained in Dubai last week for allegedly leaving Mr Fakana in Dubai without proper representation.
It alleged that he was denied a translator and forced to sign a confession he did not understand.
The group’s CEO Radha Stirling said Mr Lammy had previously told those close to Mr Fakana that it would be a ‘conflict’ to represent him as Foreign Secretary.
But The Mail on Sunday can reveal that after desperate appeals by Mr Fakana’s parents, Mr Lammy has stepped in, but only in his capacity as their constituency MP in Tottenham, north London.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy (pictured) has finally acted on desperate pleas to aid a UK teenager charged with a sex crime in Dubai
Marcus Fakana (pictured), 18, faces up to 20 years in jail for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old British girl during a holiday romance
Fakana had travelled with his family to celebrate his father’s birthday when he met the girl, who was holidaying in the same hotel with her family. Pictured: The Dubai seaside skyline
The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) confirmed last night that they were also supporting the family who were plunged into a nightmare when Mr Fakana was arrested on their holiday of a lifetime.
He had travelled with his family to celebrate his father’s birthday when he met the girl, who was holidaying in the same hotel with her family. They kept their romance secret as she feared her family would not approve.
Mr Fakana told Detained in Dubai he hoped their ‘wonderful time together’ would continue in the UK. He added: ‘We really liked each other but she was secretive with her (British-Indian) family because they were strict.’
He told Detained in Dubai that police suddenly turned up to arrest him after the girl had flown back to Britain, adding: ‘They were taking me in for questioning but wouldn’t tell me why. I couldn’t imagine what for. I was frightened and my parents were terrified.’
A fundraising page set up by his family to help cover legal costs has raised nearly £20,000 so far as publicity around his case grows.
He told Detained in Dubai his mother is a cleaner and his father works in a warehouse. ‘They saved up for this one-off holiday and have now used all of their savings on this ordeal,’ he said.
His trial is set to take place in Dubai on December 9.
The FCDO said: ‘We are supporting a British man in the UAE and are in contact with his family.’
