A British teenager who made headlines after being jailed in Dubai has tragically died in a car crash just three months after regaining his freedom.

Nineteen year old Marcus Fakana was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed in Tottenham, north London, in the early hours of Friday. He was rushed to hospital with serious injuries but later died.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers had attempted to stop a car shortly before the collision. After a brief chase the vehicle was found crashed and officers gave immediate first aid before paramedics arrived. The driver, also 19, was arrested on suspicion of failure to stop and dangerous driving and remains in custody.

Fakana was previously sentenced to one year in prison in Dubai after having a sexual relationship with a 17 year old girl. At the time he was 18, but the relationship was reported to local authorities by the girl’s mother after she returned to the UK and discovered their messages.

In July he was granted a royal pardon by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and released from prison. His lawyer Radha Stirling, founder of the Detained in Dubai group, said Marcus had been deeply affected by the ordeal but was grateful to the British public for their support.

“Marcus was thankful to have regained his freedom and was looking forward to building a positive future,” she said. “He was grateful for the compassion shown to him and his experiences gave him a renewed focus on Christianity and prayer. Sadly he was only free for the three months between July and October after spending most of this year in a Dubai prison which no doubt caused him long lasting mental anguish.”

Friends and supporters have expressed shock at his death, which has cut short a life that had only just begun to rebuild. The tragedy has raised further questions around the lasting effects of imprisonment abroad and the dangers facing young people upon returning home.

Marcus’s story, once defined by controversy and survival, has now ended in heartbreak just as he was preparing to start over.

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