Remembering boy jailed in UAE and killed in London

A teenager from north London who was killed in a car crash three months after being released from jail in Dubai has been remembered by his former teacher.

Marcus Fakana, 19, was a passenger in the vehicle that collided with a lorry in Tottenham in the early hours of Friday 3 October. He later died in hospital from his injuries.

It happened after officers from the Met Police had attempted to stop the car, the force said.

Marlon James-Edwards said his former pupil at Gladesmore Community School was “bright, inquisitive, and full of life”.

“I just remember him in the class, it was a very charismatic class.

“He wasn’t the loudest person in the room, but he was paying attention. I could see him looking up, making notes.

“But what I really remember is him being really respectful, being attentive and yeah, I kind of looked at him and thought, ‘okay, this boy is going to go far’.

“I didn’t quite know what he wanted to do. But in terms of his attitude, it seemed like he came from a good family.”

Marcus died three months to the day after he returned to the UK following his release from jail in the United Arab Emirates.

He had been sentenced to one year in prison after admitting to having consensual sex with a 17-year-old girl, also from London.

Although legal in the UK, in the UAE – where both teenagers were on holiday – it is illegal.

The Fakana family called on the UK government to intervene and six months into his sentence, Marcus was granted a royal pardon by the authorities in Dubai.

Mr James-Edward said Marcus’s imprisonment had been a shock.

“We were all getting over the fact of what happened in Dubai and the fact that he was back.

“That was a huge relief, and then a couple of months and then I’m seeing things dotted around social media, friends are contacting me knowing I’d worked with him in the past.

“I still haven’t processed it to be honest, but obviously I can’t imagine what his family is going through.

“He came back home, he’s in north London, he’s in Tottenham, and now he’s gone.

“It just doesn’t feel right. Just really sad, I know, just coming from Tottenham as well, that this is a huge loss for the community, and really it has reverberated around the nation, to be honest.

“I think a lot of people, if they have a son, this is something that you’ll absolutely understand and connect with.”

The driver of the crashed car was arrested at the scene and has since been charged with death by dangerous driving, driving with no insurance and failing to stop for police.

There will be a vigil in Tottenham at the scene of the crash on Friday, to mark the seventh day since Marcus died.