A British teenager (18) has been jailed for one year for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl in a Dubai
TheNewsGuru.com(TNG) reports that the boy was on holidaying with his family in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when he met the girl who is also from London at the same hotel.
The teenagers were said to have made plans to continue their romance when they returned to the UK, however, their plans were cut short, after the boy was charged because the girl’s mother found their chats and pictures back in the UK.
A group of UAE legal experts, Detained in Dubai said the girl’s mother 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.