Journalism of Courage
A British teenager who was jailed in Dubai for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl while on holiday has died in a car crash in London, just three months after his release, The Guardian reported.
Marcus Fakana, 19, died in hospital in the early hours of Friday after a police chase ended in a collision in Tottenham, north London. The Metropolitan Police said officers attempted to stop a “vehicle of interest” shortly after midnight on Pretoria Road but lost sight of it before discovering it had crashed on The Roundway. Fakana, from Tottenham, was taken to hospital but later died.
Police confirmed his next of kin had been informed and were being supported by specialist officers. A driver arrested near the scene has since been charged with multiple offences, including causing death by dangerous driving, driving without insurance and driving without a licence.
Fakana had been serving a year-long prison sentence in Dubai after being convicted of having sex with a minor under Emirati law, despite being 18 at the time and the girl being a month away from turning 18. He was granted a royal pardon in July by Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Fakana was in the UAE, vacationing with his parents, when he met the girl, who also hailed from London. The age of consent in the UK is 16.
Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling, who had campaigned for Fakana’s release, said she was “heartbroken” at the news, The Guardian reported. “Marcus spent the majority of this year in a Dubai prison which no doubt caused him long-lasting mental anguish. It’s sad that of all of 2025, he was only free for the three months from the 3rd of July until the 3rd of October.”
Tributes poured in on social media, with friends and supporters calling his death a “painful reminder” of the time he lost while imprisoned abroad.
The Metropolitan Police Directorate of Professional Standards and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have been informed of the incident.
