A British teenager imprisoned in Dubai for having sexual relations with an underage British girl has been freed after receiving clemency from the emirate’s ruler.
Marcus Fakana, a UK national, was among nearly 1,000 prisoners who received pardons on June 3, 2025, according to a statement from the Dubai Media Office. The mass clemency was granted by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler, as part of traditional amnesty before the Eid Al Adha holiday.
The pardon covered 985 inmates from various countries housed in Dubai’s correctional facilities, offering them what officials described as a second chance through an annual gesture of goodwill. Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as the UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister, has historically issued such pardons around major religious holidays.
