Marcus Fakana, 19, killed in Tottenham crash months after UAE prison release

Marcus Fakana, freed from a Dubai jail after a royal pardon, died in a Tottenham car crash three months later. His former teacher remembered him as bright and full of life.

Teen freed from UAE prison mourned after fatal Tottenham collision

Marcus Fakana, 19, died in hospital after the car he was travelling in struck a lorry in Tottenham in the early hours of Friday 3 October — exactly three months after he returned to the UK from a Dubai jail, bbc.com reports.

The Metropolitan Police said officers had attempted to stop the vehicle before the collision occurred. The driver was arrested at the scene and has since been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving without insurance, and failing to stop for police.

Fakana had been sentenced to one year in prison in the United Arab Emirates after admitting to consensual sex with a 17-year-old girl, also from London. Both teenagers had been on holiday in the UAE at the time. While the act is legal in the UK, it is a criminal offence under UAE law. Following a campaign by the Fakana family urging the UK government to intervene, he was granted a royal pardon by Dubai authorities six months into his sentence.

Marlon James-Edwards, a former teacher at Gladesmore Community School in north London, remembered Fakana as a student who stood out for the right reasons.

"He wasn't the loudest person in the room, but he was paying attention," James-Edwards said. "I could see him looking up, making notes. What I really remember is him being really respectful, being attentive — and yeah, I kind of looked at him and thought, 'OK, this boy is going to go far'."

James-Edwards described the news of Fakana's imprisonment as a shock to those who knew him, and said the relief of his return had been swiftly overtaken by grief.

"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 later I'm seeing things dotted around social media, friends are contacting me knowing I'd worked with him in the past."

He added that the loss had been felt well beyond Tottenham. "I still haven't processed it, to be honest. He came back home, he's in north London, he's in Tottenham, and now he's gone. It just doesn't feel right. This is a huge loss for the community, and it has really reverberated around the nation."

James-Edwards also described Fakana as someone who appeared to come from a stable background. "In terms of his attitude, it seemed like he came from a good family," he said. "I think a lot of people, if they have a son, this is something that you'll absolutely understand and connect with."

A vigil was planned at the Tottenham crash site on Friday, marking the seventh day since Fakana's death.

Source: Google News AE