Key points
- In the French Disneyland, the police cancelled the wedding of a 22-year-old British man with a 9-year-old girl from Ukraine, and several adults were detained.
- The prosecutor's office has classified the incident as a staged event with elements of fraud; an investigation is underway into the organization of the event and the origin of the funds.
In the French Disneyland, law enforcement officers disrupted a scandalous ceremony, which they called a “wedding.” The groom was a 22-year-old British man, and the bride was a 9-year-old girl from Ukraine. The police and prosecutor's office arrived at the scene, after which the event was cancelled and several adults were detained.
The wedding was supposed to take place at dawn on June 21, the time when private events are allowed to take place at Disneyland. About 100 guests attended the ceremony. However, when the Ukrainian “bride” arrived, Disneyland employees discovered that she was only 9 years old. The event was then cancelled, 24 Kanal reported, citing Le Parisien.
A private event turned into a scandal
According to the groom, he is the director of a production company and allegedly wanted to make a film. However, there was no warning among the guests about any filming. One of the guests stated that the guests did not know about the participation in the production and were shocked to see a child in the role of the bride.
The girl was scared and confused. She could not walk on her own because of the heels that were glued to her feet. A medical examination showed that there was no violence against the child. However, the child's psychological state was a cause for concern.
What is known about the further investigation?
Upon arrival, law enforcement officers detained four people:
- A 22-year-old British man who called himself a groom,
- The girl's 41-year-old mother,
- two Latvian citizens aged 55 and 24 years old – one of them introduced himself as the child’s father.
The French prosecutor's office has classified the incident as a set-up with elements of fraud. An investigation is currently underway to determine whether the child could have been harmed and who exactly organized the event. Investigators are also checking the origin of the funds used to rent Disneyland.
