Detained in DubaiAn 18-year-old British man who was sentenced to a year in prison for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old British girl in Dubai has pleaded with the emirate's ruler to “let me go home.”
Marcus Vacana, from north London, began a secret romance in September with another Londoner, who is now 18.
After returning home and seeing the pictures and conversations, the girl’s mother reported the relationship to Dubai Police, who arrested Fakana at the hotel where he was staying. Having sex with another person under the age of 18 is illegal in Dubai.
“I ask His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum to forgive me and excuse me,” he told the Detained in Dubai group while speaking at a temporary residence while out on bail.
'tearing apart the family'
The teenager added: “Let me go home. Please give me my life back.”
“I never intended to break the law. It just didn't occur to me at the time, and I'm sorry for that.”
Detained in Dubai described the ruling on Wednesday as a “total disgrace” and said Vacana, from Tottenham, would appeal against the “unreasonable” ruling.
The teenagers were on holiday with their parents in the UAE from the UK, where the age of consent is 16.
Vakana told his family about the romance but the girl did not tell her family.
The Dubai government said earlier: “Under UAE law, the girl is legally classified as a minor, and in accordance with internationally recognized procedures, her mother – as the legal guardian – filed the complaint.”
She added: “Dubai's legal system is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring impartial judicial procedures.”
The BBC has contacted her for further comment.
Stirling, founder and chief executive of Detained in Dubai, which helps foreigners abroad and is an international body on UAE law, told the BBC that Vacana was “shocked” by the “unfathomable” ruling.
“This does not warrant a year in prison, nor does it warrant tearing apart this family and destroying this 18-year-old’s life,” she said.
He added: “I am confident that, on appeal, his prison sentence will be overturned and he will be allowed to return home.
“The question is how long will this take and how much effort will it take, whether that is British intervention or public support to tell Dubai that this is unacceptable?”
The 18-year-old's parents returned to London without their son after the holiday to resume work in a warehouse and as a cleaner to help pay for his temporary accommodation.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are supporting a British man in the UAE and are communicating with his family.”
