19-Year-Old Dies After Police Pursuit in Tottenham

Marcus Fakana, 19, died in hospital after the car he was a passenger in crashed during a brief Metropolitan Police pursuit in Tottenham in the early hours of 3 October; officers and paramedics gave immediate first aid but he later died of his injuries. The Met said officers attempted to stop a “vehicle of interest” on Pretoria Road, temporarily lost sight of it after a roughly 60‑second pursuit, and later found the vehicle had collided on The Roundway. The 19‑year‑old driver was arrested on suspicion of failing to stop and dangerous driving, and some reports say he has since been charged. Fakana had been jailed in Dubai in December over a consensual sexual relationship with a 17‑year‑old British girl while on holiday and was freed by a royal pardon in July, returning to the UK three months before his death. Campaign group Detained in Dubai and its chief said they were “heartbroken,” and the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards and the Independent Office for Police Conduct have been informed as investigations continue.