A BRIT has been arrested at Disneyland Paris after allegedly trying to stage a mock wedding with a nine-year-old girl.
The suspect, 22, was reportedly the “groom” in the twisted ceremony which played out before 100 horrified guests at the iconic Sleeping Beauty castle.
AlamyDisneyland Paris rented out the iconic castle grounds to the organisers under the belief it was a genuine wedding[/caption]
AlamyFrench cops arrested the Brit ‘groom’ and the girl’s mum[/caption]
GettyGuests, recruited online through ads, thought they would be attending a genuine wedding rehearsal[/caption]
Disney staff immediately called police upon spotting the child, of Ukrainian nationality, in a bridal dress with four-inch heels taped to her feet.
The lifelike ceremony – complete with white chairs, a giant cake, musicians and the castle – was reportedly attended by the girl’s family and a large crowd at dawn on Sunday.
Police arrested the man, along with the girl’s 41-year-old mum, who is believed to be Ukrainian.
The “groom” told cops the ceremony was meant to create a video for social media.
Organisers had booked the space for $130,000 (£111,000), claiming it was for a genuine wedding ceremony, according to French network BFM TV.
Footage obtained by the network showed around 100 seated guests awaiting the ceremony, as a female violin trio played before a flower-strewn stage.
A statement issued by the prosecutor’s office in the local town of Meaux read: “Four people were arrested and questioned: the groom, who was believed to be the organiser of the event and is presumed to be British and aged 22; the mother of the child, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman; and two Latvian nationals aged 55 and 24.”
A 55-year-old man claimed he was hired to play the role of the “bride’s” dad for 12,000 euros (£10,266) – and only discovered her age at the event, local news reports.
Meanwhile, the “guests” were reportedly recruited online through ads looking for 200 adults and 100 children – aged five to 15 – to take part in a wedding “rehearsal” at Disneyland.
The extras said they had been driven from central Paris on buses at 5am and had been handed pink bracelets bearing the names of the “bride and groom”.
They were told the filming was strictly confidential, BFM TV reports.
The prosecutor’s statement added that “police custody of the British suspect and a Latvian national was also extended on charges of fraud and money laundering”.
Disneyland Paris was reportedly deceived about the nature of the event.
The organiser is said to have assumed the “identity of a Latvian national”, using “false documents to secure the conclusion of the contract for privatising the park”, BFM TV reports.
Disneyland Paris told French newspaper Le Parisien that the event was immediately shut down by its team and that guests were stopped from entering the premises.
A criminal investigation has been opened, according to the prosecutor’s office.
It added that a medical examination confirmed the child had not suffered any violence.
Officials say they are still trying to understand the nature of the event.
The Brit “groom” claimed that he was the director of a production company and that they were shooting a video, a police source told Le Parisien.
A witness, who said they had been a guest at the event, told the newspaper: “We all thought we were going to attend a wedding…
“Everyone was stunned, no one expected it. Disneyland did things very well.
“They cancelled everything as soon as they realized the bride was a child. We were shocked to see that.”
Another witness, named Yeleen, who attended the ceremony as a guest with her daughter, said: “I saw a little girl dressed in white.
“I saw her hair prepared with curls and a lady picking her up in her arms.
“At that moment, I was shocked. I realised when I saw the child. It was atrocious.”
The prosecutor’s office said: “So it wasn’t a wedding, but a staged wedding filmed with around a hundred extras.
“They privatised Disneyland Paris, pretending it was a real wedding.”
They are set to appear before a judge at Meaux judicial court on Monday as part of a formal judicial investigation.
In 2019, Michael Jackson reportedly exchanged rings with a nine-year-old child “bride” in a creepy mock wedding ceremony at the Neverland Ranch, court documents claim.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of accuser James Safechuck claims his father was then paid $1million hush money after the secret union at his Californian mansion.
AlamyAround 12 million tourists are said to visit Disneyland Paris each year[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
