The British teenager being held in a Dubai prison after having sex with a 17-year-old girl (also British) in the country could potentially see his jail time increased to 20 years as authorities seek to make an example of the lad.

Marcus Fakana, 18, from Tottenham, London, was on a family holiday in Dubai when he slept with the young woman, now 18, who was also on holiday with her family in the UAE.

The girl’s mother discovered texts on her phone which revealed her secret holiday romance, and then waited until they were both safely back in the UK before contracting authorities in Dubai to tell them that Marcus Fakana had slept with her 17-year-old daughter. As Marcus was still in Dubai at this time, police showed up to his accommodation and arrested him.

The 18-year-old was detained and given a one-year sentence but a lawyer has warned that this could be extended to 20 years.

David Haigh, a human rights lawyer focusing on the Middle East, told 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.

‘He won’t be allowed to talk or address the judge and everything will be in Arabic anyway. There won’t be a translator. He’ll probably be pushed into court for a minute and then pushed straight out again.’

Radha Stirling, the CEO of Detained in Dubai who is speaking on behalf of Marcus’s family, says that he is waiting to see if the prosecution will seek a harsher verdict ‘before deciding to whether to lodge an appeal.’

Marcus has told Detained in Dubai that he and the girl “really liked each other” as they struck up a holiday romance, but that she was reluctant to tell her British Indian family about him. I guess now we know why. Marcus said:

 ‘We really liked each other but she was secretive with her family because they were strict.

‘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.’

Sex with anyone who is under the age of 18 is illegal in Dubai. While the UAE has relaxed certain laws in recent years to attract tourists and improve its perception abroad, their regulations are still based on Shariah law at the end of the day, so young Marcus definitely made a grave error when deciding to sleep with the girl he met out there.

Even still, the mother of the girl should be ashamed of herself. Does she really think that this lad deserves to be in prison because her daughter had sex with him while on holiday? The worst part is that she waited until her and her daughter were back in the UK before grassing Marcus up to the Dubai police, meaning he got punished and her daughter got away with it (provided she never steps foot in Dubai again, which I’m sure she won’t). Despicable individual to ruin the boy’s life like this and the lives of his family as well. Especially during Christmas!

Well anyway, good luck to Marcus and here’s hoping Detained in Dubai can work their magic with the authorities in both the UK and Dubai to ensure he gets home as soon as possible and not in 20 years time. A solid reminder for the rest of us too to respect the laws in foreign countries.

For the Love Island star facing jail after being caught smuggling cocaine from Heathrow into Dubai, click HERE. Very unwise move.