A British teenager held in a Dubai prison after having sex with a 17-year-old girl could face 20 years behind bars. Marcus Fakana, from Tottenham, London, was jailed in the United Arab Emirates during a family holiday. The 18-year-old was detained and given a one-year sentence after the secret romance with the young woman, now aged 18, he met during a family vacation, according to Detained in Dubai.
![[Two pictures of Marcus Fakana who has been jailed in Dubai.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEC_232815041-cc2a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Now a lawyer has warned that Marcus’s sentence could be extended up to 20 years as he waits in uncertainty about what will happen to him. Radha Stirling, the CEO of Detained in Dubai who is speaking on behalf of Marcus’s family, said on X on Friday that he is waiting to see if the prosecution will seek a harsher verdict ‘before deciding to whether to lodge an appeal.’.
![[A picture of a sunset over Dubai with a beach and skyscrapers.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/PRI_205053381-7cfd.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘He is grateful for the widespread support and hopes the UK government does more,’ she said. David Haigh, a human rights lawyer focusing on the Middle East, warned that the maximum penalty for similar cases is 20 years. He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The maximum sentence for a case like this is 20 years.
‘It is always seen that the prosecutor really decides the sentence, but this was a low one for them. The worry is that they will not want to let this go and look weak. They may want to show they have fully upheld the law to everyone watching. Marcus will play almost no part in any prosecution appeal.
