404

Marcus, from Tottenham, North London, had been enjoying a holiday with his parents when he met a fellow Brit at the same hotel. A holiday fling sparked and the pair spent time together until the girl, also from London, flew back to Britain.

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. The relationship would be legal in the UK.

Marcus and his parents were set to fly back shortly after - but their plans were thrown into chaos when police knocked on their hotel room door. The "terrified" teenager was then reportedly hauled in for questioning without any explanation and held at the Al Barsha Police Station, DID said. He spent three days there, during which time he was not allowed to make a phone call or speak with his parents, it is claimed.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] madcaesar@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago

I have the family's next vacation picked out! Saudi Arabia, where they'll have a fully stocked bar of alcohol and pork waiting for them to enjoy! What could go wrong!

Stop spending your money in these Islamofascist countries!

[-] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 285 points 3 days ago

You Europeans really gotta stop vacationing in fucking Dubai, there are way cooler places to fly to.

[-] Woht24@lemmy.world 150 points 3 days ago

It's fucking Dubai.. Why would you want to go there?

A monument to man's arrogance, literal slaves, rampant misogyny, homophobia Yada Yada. Terrifying laws based on ultra conservative religions. Routinely one of the hottest places in the world and extremely expensive.

Just fucking why?

[-] OfficerBribe@lemm.ee 3 points 2 days ago

I have the same mindset against Dubai and would never visit it. That said I know a perfectly normal colleague who has been there with his family 2 or 3 times and said he would probably go there again. Don't recall why they liked it there that much.

[-] atempuser23@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago

That list sounds like a way to remind Brittan of it's glory days, but warm.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (7 replies)
[-] RubberElectrons@lemmy.world 54 points 3 days ago

100%, I hated every minute of my layover wandering that shit-quality SimCity attempt, the bubble popped real fast once I talked to some locals.

I can't wait for the sand to bury that cruel slave labor shitberg.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (7 replies)
[-] JasminIstMuede@lemmy.blahaj.zone 276 points 3 days ago

I will never understand why this place is idolized by so many people...

[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 129 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Or why you'd even vacation there. How tf did they convince people to vacation in a desert?

[-] kautau@lemmy.world 36 points 3 days ago

FOMO. makes it seem exclusive. For whatever reason at least 50% of humans are just wired to want to feel better than everyone else. The actual experience itself doesn't matter as long as they can brag about it knowing that others weren't able to achieve it. Dubai literally has ice shipped in from melting glaciers so that rich people can put it into their drink https://arcticice.ae/

load more comments (14 replies)
[-] Sakychu@lemmy.blahaj.zone 51 points 3 days ago

If you are talking about social media it is likely that they aren't allowed to post something negative about the country or else you can be fined. If you are working as an influncer in Dubai you'll need to obtain an license which regulates what you can post but you basically pay no income taxes

[-] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago

If you are working as an influncer in Dubai you’ll need to obtain an license which regulates what you can post but you basically pay no income taxes

Because the propaganda you're providing for them would be priceless...

load more comments (15 replies)
[-] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 23 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I wonder if there is a law in the UK that would allow the parents of the boy to sue the mother of the girl for snitching. Like, she weaponized the laws of another country that criminalize behaviours that are legal in the UK, for things that happened between UK citizens abroad. That sounds like something UK legislators might have the power and incentive to legislate, right?

Also, I would not fault the girl if she hated her horrible mother for the rest of her life.

[-] HowManyNimons@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago

£20 says she's white and racist.

[-] jol@discuss.tchncs.de 83 points 3 days ago

Hard to feel sorry about anyone travelling to Dubai.

[-] raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world 25 points 2 days ago

Correct for adults, but this was the kid travelling with his parents. It's likely that the decision was the parents' - also, most kids are not very well-versed in politics.

load more comments (13 replies)
[-] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 137 points 3 days ago

Fuck Dubai.

Signed me, who grew up there.

load more comments (3 replies)
[-] beansbeansbeans@lemmy.world 124 points 3 days ago

Dubai is a terrible place. People need to stop going there.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] Nollij@sopuli.xyz 60 points 3 days ago

I'm curious how the authorities were even aware of this occurring. The article says they were on holiday, so it's not like there was much time. How did anyone notice their ages? Was it just fishing for a charge because of unrelated reasons?

[-] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 83 points 3 days ago

Either

  1. They're always watching. I'm in tech and was taught in my security training - when traveling to countries with extremely strong surveillance, assume you are bugged. Family could be high valued and they wanted something from the parents. Probably a bit too tinfoil hat.

  2. Vengeance girl's parents could be assholes/racist. As a dude, Ive had my share of "mommy & daddy doesn't like me for taking their precious flower". Multiplier in effect if they have a problem that I'm a PoC.

[-] Dashmezzo@lemm.ee 50 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

It was the mother of the girl. She got back to the UK found out about the boy and contacted the Dubai authorities. Apparently the girl was days off her 18th birthday too. It was in the news report when he was originally arrested.

Wrecked a young man’s life for some bullshit reason.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
[-] pandapoo@sh.itjust.works 30 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Did you read the article?

The girls mother reported him to the Dubai police.

Hopefully her identity is revealed to the public and she faces some consequences for her actions. Maybe it's already been leaked or released elsewhere, but it wasn't in that article.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (13 replies)
[-] atro_city@fedia.io 44 points 3 days ago

I won't say I'll never go to Dubai, but I will say I'll do my best to never end up there.

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2024
404 points (96.5% liked)

Not The Onion

12509 readers
166 users here now

Welcome

We're not The Onion! Not affiliated with them in any way! Not operated by them in any way! All the news here is real!

The Rules

Posts must be:

  1. Links to news stories from...
  2. ...credible sources, with...
  3. ...their original headlines, that...
  4. ...would make people who see the headline think, “That has got to be a story from The Onion, America’s Finest News Source.”

Comments must abide by the server rules for Lemmy.world and generally abstain from trollish, bigoted, or otherwise disruptive behavior that makes this community less fun for everyone.

And that’s basically it!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS