18-Year-Old Faces Years in Prison for Sleeping with 17-Year-Old While on Family Vacation in Dubai

An 18-year-old British teen faces jail time for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old, while on vacation in Dubai, officials say.

Marcus Fakana met a 17-year-old girl, also from Britain, in Dubai while on vacation in the emirate with his family in September. The girl has since turned 18.

"We really liked each other but she was secretive with her family because they were strict," Fakana told criminal justice specialist group Detained in Dubai.

"My parents knew about our relationship but she couldn't tell hers. She had to meet me without telling them it was to see a boy," he continued.

Fakana, who hails from Tottenham, north London, was reported by the girl's mother, who learned of the relationship after returning home from vacation. Upon seeing the text conversations between Fakana and her daughter, the girl's mother reported Fakana to Dubai police, and he was then arrested at his hotel. He now faces up to 20 years in prison in Dubai.

"We are supporting a British man in the UAE and are in contact with his family," said a spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

Radha Stirling, founder and chief executive of Detained in Dubai, weighed in on the situation as she is actively working with Fakana.

"It's a unique case in that it's the first one we've brought to the media where it's a British citizen and where the age difference is so small," revealed Stirling. "This is clearly just a case of two older teenagers, both of them now the same age, who have been caught up because a mother reported the behavior."

"This has gone absolutely viral and people just don't think it's fair. They are shocked that something that is absolutely legal in the UK could warrant 20 years in prison [in Dubai]. That would ruin their son's life, the whole family's lives. Is that worth it?" continued Stirling.

Stirling also confirmed that the boy's parents were forced to return to London without him in order to continue working.

"Consensual sexual relationships between a male and female outside marriage are generally legal as long as both are over the age of 18 years," states the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

"If a person aged 18 or over has a sexual relationship with a person under 18 years old, they will be prosecuted for having a sexual relationship with a minor," the office continues.