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A Briton has been accused of organising a 'fake wedding' for a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl at Disneyland Paris.
French prosecutors have said the 39-year-old man is a sex offender wanted in Britain, the BBC reports.
“Wedding” with a nine-year-old Ukrainian bride at Disneyland
The perpetrator's name has not been released. He was arrested on Saturday, June 21, at dawn at an amusement park after one of the “guests” of the ceremony contacted the police. The man said he had been hired to play the role of the bride's father.
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According to the prosecutor of the city of Meaux, Jean-Baptiste Bladie, the actor said that he received 12 thousand euros for his participation, but only at the last moment realized that the “bride” was a child.
The statement also noted that the Ukrainian girl, who arrived in France two days before the incident, was not subjected to physical or sexual violence.
The woman, who claims she was invited to be a guest, told BFMTV: When I arrived at Disneyland, I saw a little girl in a white dress with her hair done. I saw a woman who picked her up… and I was shocked, I burst into tears.
“When I realized it was a child, it was terrible,” she added.
Around 100 French extras were recruited to take part in the fake ceremony. The wedding was to be filmed privately.
The Briton reportedly rented Disneyland for a few hours for the “stunt”, in which he was supposed to play the groom.
According to preliminary investigation data, the man was professionally made up so that his face looked completely different.
Trial of the “wedding” organizer
In addition to the organizer, three more people were arrested: the girl's 41-year-old mother, a 24-year-old Latvian citizen who was supposed to play the bride's sister, and a 55-year-old Latvian. Only the British man remained in custody until June 24.
On June 23, the British man and the Latvian woman appeared before a judge in the city of Mo. The man was charged with fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and identity theft. He was placed under preliminary arrest. The Latvian woman has the status of a witness in the case.
The prosecutor's statement also noted that Disneyland management was “deceived” and that the organizer used a fake Latvian identity card to rent the site.
Disneyland Paris can be rented for private events outside of normal business hours.
According to BFMTV, the fake wedding could have cost the organizer more than 130 thousand euros.
Prosecutor Bladie said the Briton had previously been convicted, including for sexual crimes against minors.
He is listed on the UK sex offenders database and is wanted by his country's judicial authorities for breaching the requirements of this decision, he said.
At this point, it is unknown what the purpose of this “performance” was. The investigation is ongoing.