The man arrested for organizing a fake wedding to 9-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris is a child predator who was on the run from UK justice, French prosecutors confirmed.
The unnamed 39-year-old British national was arrested in France following the incident. Prosecutors in Meaux, east of Paris, said the man was known in Britain "for s*xual offenses against minors."
Highlights
- A 39-year-old British child predator was arrested for staging a fake wedding to a 9-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris.
- The man used fake documents to privatize Disneyland Paris for $150,000 and hired about 100 extras for the staged ceremony.
- The "child bride" was a 9-year-old Ukrainian girl who arrived in France two days before.
"He is registered on the British s*x offenders register and is currently wanted at the national level by the judicial authorities of his country of origin for failing to comply with the obligations arising from said registration," the authorities shared in a statement.
The 39-year-old was described as the "mastermind" behind the wedding stunt and is said to have used fake documents to privatize part of the amusement park for around $150,000. About 100 guests were invited to the ceremony on Saturday (June 21).
Image credits: dechevm/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
"The event turned out to be a set-up, with the guests themselves being extras," said Alexandre Verney, deputy public prosecutor for the city of Meaux, in a statement.
"It was therefore not a wedding, but a staged wedding filmed with around a hundred extras. They privatized Disneyland Paris, pretending it was a real wedding."
According to prosecutors, a group of "extras" were recruited online to participate in the fake ceremony. The 39-year-old man who presented himself as the groom reportedly stated that it was a film shoot and that he was the director of a production company.
Image credits: Thomas Evraert/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
The man has been charged with fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and identity theft.
The "child bride" was a 9-year-old from Ukraine. The girl's mother was also arrested, in addition to a 24-year-old Latvian woman who played the role of the girl's sister and a 55-year-old Latvian man who took part in the ceremony, Bored Panda previously reported.
A medical examination revealed that the girl had not suffered any harm.
The man, identified as the "mastermind" behind the stunt, was known in Britain "for s*xual offenses against minors"
Image credits: Scott Webb/Pexels (Not the actual photo)
A prosecutor for the case explained that the "organizer assumed the identity of a Latvian national and used false documents to secure the conclusion of the contract for the privatization of the park."
The ceremony was scheduled to take place at dawn, as private events at the theme park are held outside public opening hours.
Organizers reportedly asked Disneyland to keep the event "confidential."
Image credits: AS Photo Family/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
According to a police source, not all of the hundred or so extras were informed that the wedding was not real.
"Everyone was stunned, no one expected it," one witness told Le Parisien of the "bride," who was reportedly carried by her mother.
The 39-year-old hired approximately 100 extras to play "wedding guests," many of whom had no idea that the "bride" was a minor
Image credits: Jeremy Wong/Pexels (Not the actual photo)
Image credits: Nomad_Soul/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
"At that moment, I was shocked. I realized when I saw the child. It was atrocious," she added.
"Disneyland did things very well," another guest told local media. "They canceled everything as soon as they realized the bride was a child."
In addition to the British man, the Ukrainian girl's mother and two Latvian nationals were also arrested
Image credits: Constantin Panagopoulos/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Image credits: Jae Park/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
A separate witness said they saw the Disney staff "leave on the verge of tears" and a man passing behind them, saying, "The girl is 9 years old, we're stopping everything!"
The prosecutor clarified on Sunday that the Ukrainian child, who arrived in France two days before the event, had not suffered "any violence, neither physical nor s*xual" and "was not forced to play the role" of the bride, as per Le Parisien.
People were stunned by the "creepy and disturbing" incident and expressed hope that the child is now in a safe environment
