Marcus, from Tottenham, North London, had been enjoying a holiday with his parents when he met a fellow Brit at the same hotel. A holiday fling sparked and the pair spent time together until the girl, also from London, flew back to Britain.

In Dubai, if an adult has a sexual relationship with a person under 18, they can be prosecuted for having a sexual relationship with a minor. The relationship would be legal in the UK.

Marcus and his parents were set to fly back shortly after - but their plans were thrown into chaos when police knocked on their hotel room door. The “terrified” teenager was then reportedly hauled in for questioning without any explanation and held at the Al Barsha Police Station, DID said. He spent three days there, during which time he was not allowed to make a phone call or speak with his parents, it is claimed.

  • madcaesar@lemmy.world
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    I have the family’s next vacation picked out! Saudi Arabia, where they’ll have a fully stocked bar of alcohol and pork waiting for them to enjoy! What could go wrong!

    Stop spending your money in these Islamofascist countries!

  • BetaBlake@lemmy.world
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    You Europeans really gotta stop vacationing in fucking Dubai, there are way cooler places to fly to.

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      It’s fucking Dubai… Why would you want to go there?

      A monument to man’s arrogance, literal slaves, rampant misogyny, homophobia Yada Yada. Terrifying laws based on ultra conservative religions. Routinely one of the hottest places in the world and extremely expensive.

      Just fucking why?

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        I have the same mindset against Dubai and would never visit it. That said I know a perfectly normal colleague who has been there with his family 2 or 3 times and said he would probably go there again. Don’t recall why they liked it there that much.

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        My guess is that the bri’ish family is either composed of rich assholes wanting to show off they’re rich, or of scammers that still haven’t got caught. Seriously, that city is a magnet for scammers to spend money on.

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          But for people who those are features, they are very likely to be Muslim or at the least Arabic and therefore, probably somewhat similar to their home.

          I’m saying for a westerner, to think you can go the and have a great time safely, you’re deluded.

          • BluesF@lemmy.world
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            But for people who those are features, they are very likely to be Muslim or at the least Arabic

            Uh, I don’t think so. Perhaps very specifically the religious laws, but besides that you don’t have to look far among westerners to find those for whom…

            man’s arrogance, literal slaves, rampant misogyny, homophobia […] one of the hottest places in the world and extremely expensive

            … are rather a nice prospect, actually.

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              This place is so backwards.

              Let’s look the past the fact you’re a moron, attempting to make a point on behalf of your brother’s in christ, the gays.

              And let’s dive in.

              Are there homophobic and misogynistic westerners who like slaves? Absolutely.

              Now have a think how many of them also like Muslims and the middle east and want to go to a Muslim country with no alcohol that judges them?

              Sshhhhhhh child, no more talking.

    • RubberElectrons@lemmy.world
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      100%, I hated every minute of my layover wandering that shit-quality SimCity attempt, the bubble popped real fast once I talked to some locals.

      I can’t wait for the sand to bury that cruel slave labor shitberg.

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    I wonder if there is a law in the UK that would allow the parents of the boy to sue the mother of the girl for snitching. Like, she weaponized the laws of another country that criminalize behaviours that are legal in the UK, for things that happened between UK citizens abroad. That sounds like something UK legislators might have the power and incentive to legislate, right?

    Also, I would not fault the girl if she hated her horrible mother for the rest of her life.

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      Or why you’d even vacation there. How tf did they convince people to vacation in a desert?

      • kautau@lemmy.world
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        FOMO. makes it seem exclusive. For whatever reason at least 50% of humans are just wired to want to feel better than everyone else. The actual experience itself doesn’t matter as long as they can brag about it knowing that others weren’t able to achieve it. Dubai literally has ice shipped in from melting glaciers so that rich people can put it into their drink https://arcticice.ae/

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          I’d like Vegas if there was like an airconditioned pedway to walk around the strip out of the heat and away from the crazies but still be able to observe like a human zoo.

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          Really? I loved Vegas and can’t wait to go back. Full disclosure though I’m not really a gambler and we didn’t hit the casinos at all but there’s some really cool stuff in that area.

        • viking
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          It’s way better than Vegas, at least they maintain the place. Vegas reminded me of a junkyard full of crackheads and flashy lights.

                • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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                  And employers in Vegas threaten the immigrants with deportation if they complain to any authorities about the work conditions. Stop pretending Vegas is somehow good in any way.

                  And yes, Dubai has bad working conditions too.

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        A bit of an unwarranted answer, but many richer Pakistanis go there to buy stuff that isn’t easily available back home. Hence, they become cash cows for the ginormous malls over there (seriously. If you think American malls are big, you haven’t been to Dubai). It’s basically the closest foreign city we have direct flights to, due to our sanctions and all with India. For example, I got my Nintendo 3DS, and later the phone that I’m currently using (Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra), from malls in Dubai.

          • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            Well if you’re an American, it might start making more sense to you in a few months when we have fucking 100% tariffs on imported shit (or whatever the fuck he’s going to do).

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            They were undoubtedly cheaper before, but with a low-budget airline like airblue, at least, a round-trip ticket between Lahore and Dubai, for a single adult, economy class, can cost 85,216 PKR or 306.23 USD.

            Choosing a more expensive airline like Emirates bumps it up to 138,028 PKR or 496.01 USD.

            (Source: Google Flights)

            To be fair, my father at least would often buy stuff while he had another reason to be there (i.e. for business).

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      If you are talking about social media it is likely that they aren’t allowed to post something negative about the country or else you can be fined. If you are working as an influncer in Dubai you’ll need to obtain an license which regulates what you can post but you basically pay no income taxes

      • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        If you are working as an influncer in Dubai you’ll need to obtain an license which regulates what you can post but you basically pay no income taxes

        Because the propaganda you’re providing for them would be priceless…

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      For the Middle East, it’s relatively progressive, from what I understand. That being said, that’s a low low bar.

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      They have a pretty open love for western money. If you have the funds ($$$$$$$$), you can do pretty much whatever you want.

      But if you aren’t extremely wealthy, you get to experience the oppressive true nature of the place.

      Guess which group goes to Dubai and tells people about their experiences.

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      Along with what everyone else said, it’s basically Las Vegas without the casinos and the booze, and with a beach.

      If you don’t care about politics, gambling or drinking, it’s another theme park for adults.

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      Correct for adults, but this was the kid travelling with his parents. It’s likely that the decision was the parents’ - also, most kids are not very well-versed in politics.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      I’m pretty sure his parents were the ones making the trip and he was forced to come along whether he wanted to or not what with him living under his parents’ roof.

    • Victor@lemmy.world
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      You don’t have to be rich to travel there. My brothers and their mother traveled there, not rich by any means. I’m probably more well off, but I haven’t been there. 🤷‍♂️

      But maybe that wasn’t your point? Sorry if I assumed incorrectly!

      • Snapz@lemmy.world
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        This doesn’t actually say much about anyone’s actual wealth status in your story, you’re just saying you have more then them I guess? No banana for scale offered.

        “They only have 2 yachts and only one can land a full size helicopter - so yeah… you don’t have to be rich to go to Dubai”

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        We Pakistanis don’t have much of a choice… We often have to stop at Dubai or Doha if we want to fly to Europe or the Americas. (Although occasionally, you can choose Turkish Airlines and stop at Istanbul instead.) Though to be fair, Pakistan can’t be much more friendly than Dubai to a lotta people…

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    I’m curious how the authorities were even aware of this occurring. The article says they were on holiday, so it’s not like there was much time. How did anyone notice their ages? Was it just fishing for a charge because of unrelated reasons?

    • ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.netOP
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      Either

      1. They’re always watching. I’m in tech and was taught in my security training - when traveling to countries with extremely strong surveillance, assume you are bugged. Family could be high valued and they wanted something from the parents. Probably a bit too tinfoil hat.

      2. Vengeance girl’s parents could be assholes/racist. As a dude, Ive had my share of “mommy & daddy doesn’t like me for taking their precious flower”. Multiplier in effect if they have a problem that I’m a PoC.

      • Dashmezzo@lemm.ee
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        It was the mother of the girl. She got back to the UK found out about the boy and contacted the Dubai authorities. Apparently the girl was days off her 18th birthday too. It was in the news report when he was originally arrested.

        Wrecked a young man’s life for some bullshit reason.

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        You already know that Mommy phoned it in but after reading several articles I’m going to guess she did it because her family is Muslim. According to another article his family knew about it but didn’t care however she was hiding it from her family because they were “quite strict”.

        I won’t discount racist assholes of course but you’d have to be SERIOUSLY over the top to know about this law in Dubai, let alone be willing to make an international phone call to the Dubai police about it. This smacks of religiously motivated behavior.

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        I think either of those are super plausible. There will be people where they stayed who are happy to snitch, no bugs required. On top of that, the UAE has one of the highest concentration of surveillance cameras in the world. Like 30,000 in Dubai. Throw in some facial recognition cross referenced with the list of folks on vacation or on business in the city and it’s real easy to find out who is spending time together, what their ages are, and what their kids will look like.

        The second one happens all the time. Happened to me when I turned 18 before my then girlfriend. Her mom threatened me with jail and all kinds of shit even though it was perfectly legal and we were only a couple of months apart. She just didn’t like me or the fact that I was dating her daughter. Would have probably been worse if I had been a PoC.

      • Obi@sopuli.xyz
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        You’ve left out the good old snitch, my understanding is they’re pretty darn strict with anything that involves women over there, so maybe someone from the hotel saw something and reported it.

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      Did you read the article?

      The girls mother reported him to the Dubai police.

      Hopefully her identity is revealed to the public and she faces some consequences for her actions. Maybe it’s already been leaked or released elsewhere, but it wasn’t in that article.

      • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
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        I don’t believe that detail was in the article when I read it, but I’m unable to find any copies from before the update. I can tell you the article now is very different from the original.

        • Aatube@kbin.melroy.org
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          After returning to the UK and seeing pictures and chats, the girl’s mother reported the relationship to Dubai police, who then arrested Mr Fakana at his hotel, it is alleged.

    • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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      Probably saw them socializing and then followed him on security cameras. Possibly seeing him go in her hotel room or vice versa. Then they haul him in and he admits what went on

      • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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        I think everyone here thinks that Dubai is like Saudi Arabia. It’s not. Nobody at all cares who is having sex or not in Dubai, there’s a thriving sex work industry there. The police aren’t monitoring for couples or care. This only got escalated because a mother complained and the daughter was underaged.

          • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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            It’s not a free country, but that’s not relevant to the point I was making above. They’re still not sex policing like Afghanistan or Iran. On that topic they’re closer to Las Vegas.

            And yes, the authorization laws are everywhere, I know an American who got charged with adultery in the US because he had an unfriendly prosecutor. I think you’re missing my point.

            • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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              You can have concerns with the bias of the source but it’s relevant for discussion. It’s not like you say, you walk a razor of financially guarded privledge there, and many folks do not live as you describe.

              You’re describing the advertised, candy coated version.

              Late edit: to compare the authoritarian concerns in UAE / Dubai to the US is disrespectful to folks who live there.

              Even later edit, I bet you didn’t see this cause you downvoted me the moment i posted lol,

              It’s not a requirement to be Afghanistan-bad to be still a very problematic place, and comparing the private liberties of either to America is a miss.

              • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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                No. While there is a ton of inequality, there, it still does not change the fact that UAE is not Iran or Afghanistan, it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, the police will still not arrest you for holding hands in public, police will not stop to ask you if you’re married to the girl you’re with, and if you’re having sex outside of marriage literally nobody will care. UAE does not have morality police like Saudi did. You failing to make this distinction undermines the rest of your argument. As to this story, the police in any country would take notice if a woman called and said her daughter is underage and with a man in a foreign country, so it’s not surprising he got detained and the story progressed from there.

                • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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                  Out of respect, I had late edits focused on the relativism between countries.

                  Uae / Dubai is a authoritarian surveillance state far beyond the US or any western country. They have the money to be “pro” about it and don’t need roving squads of cops making street arrests. That doesnt mean the civil liberties of many aren’t adjacent to the likes of other worse authoritarian theocracies.

                  Regarding the later point, I agree, if given a reputable concern from the family, I don’t fault Dubai for making legitimate inquiries, based on evidence.

                  Aside from those specifics, There is no reason to defend these countries, they won’t reward you.

      • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
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        But why were they watching in the first place? How did they know their ages?

        • TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
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          It would be pretty easy (with big error bars but since when did authoritarians give a shit about that?) to set up some alerts based on facial recognition when someone under 18 (they have their passport information) is hanging out with someone over 18 who did not arrive in the same party.

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    I won’t say I’ll never go to Dubai, but I will say I’ll do my best to never end up there.

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    Sry no sympathies. You vacation in a religiously oppressive hell hole this is what you get. Stay the fuck out of Dubai.

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      Okay look. This dude is 18. His brain isn’t fully developed, he didn’t even graduate from high school yet, his hormones are out of control, and he has a penis.

      If you still can’t see why he wasn’t thinking clearly, please read this article Teen Brain: Behavior, Problem Solving, and Decision Making from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

    • vortic@lemmy.world
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      No sympathies? He didn’t choose where to vacation, his parents did. Should children pay for their parents’ mistakes?

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    As I’m reading this story I keep wondering…
    How in the hell did the authorities even catch wind of this even happening?
    Did someone report them?
    Are all the rooms tapped and monitored Stasi-style?

    • Aatube@kbin.melroy.org
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      Well, did you read it?

      After returning to the UK and seeing pictures and chats, the girl’s mother reported the relationship to Dubai police, who then arrested Mr Fakana at his hotel, it is alleged.

      • Cyyris
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        Just newline characters for formatting - it’s possible that whatever app you’re using doesn’t properly support the markdown. I had issues with that on Sync before switching to Thunder.

  • tal@lemmy.today
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    On one hand, yeah, that sucks.

    On the other hand, you go to a foreign country, you’re subject to their laws, and it’s on you to be aware of them.

    There are weapons that I could happily lug around in the US that the UK would take issue with if I were to be doing so in the UK. Do I personally feel that British law is going the right way on this? No. However, it’s British territory, and so British law has jurisdiction. Saying “but I’m from the US and that would be perfectly legal back home” isn’t going to carry a lot of water with British courts, or, I expect, with British public opinion.

    Similarly, a Brit can’t exactly go to the UAE and just do as one does in the UK and expect the UAE to accept it because something’s legal in the UK. International travel is a lot cheaper and easier than it ever has been historically, but once you walk across the line of a sovereign territory, it’s got real consequences, and if you choose to travel internationally, it’s on you to be aware of them. That country isn’t just a tourism spot for people from Country X, but a home for people who live there. They’ve got their own rules and concerns.

    The chief executive of campaign group Detained in Dubai said Mr Fakana felt abandoned by the British government. He’s expected to appeal against his sentence.

    I don’t really see a reasonable complaint against the British government here, at least from the article text.

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    The comments in this thread are practically Islamophobic and naive.

    When you travel to another country, just abide by its culture and customs.

    Like you cant go to India and disrespect cows, or now eat beef in public.

    The comments are also naive because they show how unaware the commenters are about what actually goes on in rich countries and events for affluent people.

    • Makhno@lemmy.world
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      Uh yeah fuck Islam. Fuck the Judaism and Christianity too. See? Easy.

    • raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world
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      When you travel to another country, just abide by its culture and customs.

      WDYM? The prophet “married” a 13 9 year old.

      Edit: It’s even worse.

    • Tangent5280@lemmy.world
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      Islamophobic? Nah. Naive, hell yeah. You should watch what you do like a hawk when you’re going to places like Dubai. Have a good understanding of what is legal and what isn’t, like eating outside during Ramadan - this can get you actual jailtime instead of a fine or a slap on the wrist like you’d expect.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      When you go through puberty, every single cell in your body is telling you to have sex NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW due to well over a billion years of evolution.

      This culture is punishing a teenager for not fighting evolution.

      Of course, they probably don’t believe in evolution either, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re punishing a teenager for lacking self-control (like most teenagers) and doing what his body is telling him to do in order to fulfil his biological imperative.