An 18-year-old British teenager has been sentenced to one year in a Dubai jail for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
The teenager was on holiday with his family in the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) when he met the girl — who is now 18 — at the same hotel.
The teenagers who are both from London were said to have
made plans to continue their romance when they returned to the UK.
Detained in Dubai, a group of UAE legal experts, said the
young man was charged because the girl’s mother found their chats and pictures
back in the UK. The woman subsequently contacted police in Dubai and he was
arrested.
The head of the campaign group Detained In Dubai, who
recently announced the teenager’s sentence, described the judgment an “utter
disgrace”.
“The UK was once the most diplomatically influential western
country in the Middle East. Now, we are seeing countries like Canada, Malaysia,
Ireland and the US leaving the UK way behind,” Radha Stirling, the group’s
founder, wrote on X.
“The Labour government should be ashamed they have not
secured the freedom of a teenage tourist. It wasn’t a difficult job.”
She said the boy, who has been held in Dubai since
September, would appeal against his sentence and was “desperately hoping to
come home this week”.
“I urge young people and parents to reconsider holidays in
Dubai where so many people find themselves at risk of unfair and lengthy
detention in prisons notorious for human rights abuses and torture,” Stirling
added.
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.
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