Three months after being pardoned by the ruler of Dubai for having sex with a teenage girl during a holiday romance, Marcus Fakana found himself in a BMW in the early hours of Friday – not far from his parents’ home in Tottenham, north London.
What the 19-year-old, sat in the passenger seat and his friend Marwaan Mohamed Huseen, also 19, were doing at 12.50am remains unclear – but what is known is that the car they were in was ‘a vehicle of interest’ to the Metropolitan Police.
We know this because when a patrol car spotted the BMW parked up on and pulled up, rather than cooperate, Mr Hussen put his foot down and sped off.
What followed was a 60-second, high-speed chase through the streets of north London that was to be the final minute of Marcus’s eventful life – and ended with the BMW the friends were travelling in being wedged beneath a lorry on the side of the road.
And what prompted the reaction from Mr Huseen is also unclear but he has since appeared in court charged with causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a valid licence or insurance.
Friends say Marcus’ family have been left heartbroken by his death.
Neighbours describe the builder’s apprentice as a ‘caring and respectable young man’ who looked out for younger pupils during his time at Gladesmore Community School in Tottenham.
Yet since his death, some uncomfortable questions have emerged about the company Marcus was keeping both before and after his time in the strict Arab state.
People who knew him showed the Daily Mail a disturbing photo which they say gives an insight into Marcus’ associations with north London gangs.
They say the boy on the left with his hood up wearing a black balaclava covering his face and making a gang sign is Marcus.
Next to him, perched on a kitchen counter in the picture, is a teenager called Tyler McDermott.
Shortly after the photo was taken, Tyler, 17, a rapper who went by the name ‘Trizz’, was murdered outside a recording studio, shot in the head and sliced up with a machete as he lay bleeding on the floor.
Trizz was said to belong to a drill rap group called WC8.
His crime? He got into a row with a gang from south London at a party when one of the rival group objected to being filmed.
Four men – Tyrese Barnett, 20, Leo Reid, 21, Rhys Antwi, 21 and 19-year-old Kalam Bagge – were convicted of his murder.
WC8, based in Lower Edmonton, paid tribute to him in a music video on YouTube which featured the words ‘RIP Trizzy’ on a car number plate.
A second equally disturbing photo apparently shows Marcus with a black mask covering his face again wearing a black hoodie and sat in a 4×4 vehicle.
Although both photos appear credible, the Mail has been unable to definitively verify them, although mourners laying flowers at the spot where he died confirmed that he and Trizz had been close friends.
‘They had known one another since they were youngsters and were quite tight,’ said one. ‘Marcus knew a lot of people in this area and let’s just say, some of them were quite lively characters.’
Another added: ‘He (Marcus) wasn’t a bad kid but he did know a lot of people who weren’t so good. That’s just what it’s like if you grow up around here, you can end up having all kinds of friends.
‘He spent a lot of time with Trizz and he knew a lot of other people who were always in trouble with the law.’
Marcus knew other members of the WC8 gang, who have their origins in a notorious group called the Tottenham Mandem gang, which has splintered into several offshoots made up mainly of young men involved in crime and drill music.
The friend added: ‘There are a lot of smaller gangs in this area who always have problems with each other.’
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the car Marcus was travelling in was ‘of interest’ – but have provided no further details.
Officers say they ‘temporarily lost sight of the vehicle’ and have asked for any witnesses to the crash or those who may have dashcam footage of the incident.
The force informed the Directorate of Professional Standards about the incident, together with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), in line with standard practice.
Marcus had been pulled from the wreckage and rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
His death after being freed from serving seven months in a maximum-security prison has left his family in ‘too much’ pain to bear.
His conviction last December in the United Arab Emirates made headlines around the world because it followed a consensual holiday romance with a female British tourist who was just a few months younger than him.
Marcus began a holiday romance with the girl after they met at the £210-a-night Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah.
His nightmare began after the girl returned to the UK with her family and her mother reported Marcus to the Dubai authorities after finding birth control pills in her daughter’s luggage.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was one month away from turning 18, but sex with anyone under the age of 18 is an offence in Dubai.
They met when both their families were staying at a luxury hotel.
He was initially accused of rape, but was cleared when police reviewed hotel CCTV footage which showed the girl going into his hotel bedroom at 4am.
The fact the girl was 17 put her under Dubai’s age of sexual consent and Marcus was convicted of having underage sex and sentenced last December, prompting him to issue a statement which read: ‘I never intended to break the law. It didn’t occur to me at the time and for that, I’m sorry.
‘I am asking His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum to please forgive me and pardon me. Let me go home. Please give me my life back’.
The girl’s mother reported Marcus – who was aged 18 at the time – to the UAE authorities after seeing messages between the two when she had returned to the UK.
His case drew widespread attention and outrage, highlighting the UAE’s harsh laws that criminalise personal relationships which critics say disproportionately target foreign nationals.
Radha Stirling, Founder and CEO of Detained in Dubai, who helped Marcus in the Gulf state, told the Daily Mail she was ‘deeply saddened’ to learn of his death.
She said: ‘I came to know Marcus as he faced one of the most frightening experiences of his life, and I witnessed his strength and courage throughout.
‘He was grateful for the compassion shown to him by the British public, and his experiences gave him a renewed focus on Christianity and prayer.
‘Marcus was thankful to have regained his freedom and was looking forward to building a positive future. My heartfelt condolences go to his family and friends at this difficult time.’
She added: ‘Marcus spent the majority of this year in a Dubai prison which no doubt caused him long-lasting mental anguish. It’s sad that of all of 2025, he was only free for the three months from the 3rd of July until the 3rd of October.
‘It wasn’t necessary for him to be in prison at all. He could have been deported instead. David Lammy and the FCDO caused Marcus and his family no end of grief, refusing to effectively help him as the Foreign Minister.
‘It’s sad that he had to go through this in what would be the last months of his life.’
A vigil attended by tearful friends and family was held in his honour on Sunday.
Mr Huseen appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates 24 hours earlier on Saturday. He will appear next on Monday, October 13, at the Old Bailey.
