British media reported that the “groom” was a Briton wanted for sexual crimes against minors.
New details have emerged in France about a scandalous wedding at Disneyland Paris. It turns out that a 39-year-old man wanted in the UK for sexual crimes tried to “marry” a 9-year-old girl from Ukraine.
The French publication france24.com writes about this.
What is known about the scandal in France
French prosecutors suspect a man of hiring Disneyland to stage a staged wedding ahead of its opening to the public on Saturday, signing a contract worth 130,000 euros.
The “groom” was initially reported to be a 22-year-old man. However, the investigation later established that he was a 39-year-old British man who has a criminal record for sexual crimes, including paedophilia. He is currently wanted in the UK because he is failing to fulfil “his obligations as a registered sex offender”.
“The Briton played 'the role of the groom after being professionally made up to show a face completely different from his own,'” regional prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladieu told AFP.
The prosecutor said the investigation showed the “marriage” was in fact a “sham ceremony intended for private filming.”
“The Briton is suspected of 'recruiting, with the help of a Latvian citizen, other Latvian citizens to ensure the smooth running of the event, as well as about 100 French extras who were mistakenly presented at Disneyland Paris as wedding guests,'” the prosecutor said.
What is the condition of the 9 year old girl?
The Ukrainian child, who arrived in France two days before the incident, was not subjected to “any violence, physical or sexual” and was “not forced to play the role” of a bride, local prosecutors said.
According to the prosecutor, Disneyland Paris was deceived: “the organizer posed as a Latvian citizen and used false documents to secure a contract to lease the park.”
According to a police source for the publication, who wished to remain anonymous, the event was to take place between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m. local time, outside working hours, in a privatized building, “at a total cost of 130,000 euros.”
But on Sunday, Disneyland Paris said in a statement to AFP that the event had been “immediately cancelled” by its team “after discovering significant irregularities.”
What is known about the “groom”
Britain's Mirror reported that Disneyland workers alerted police after the “groom” was spotted with the child, wearing four-inch heels glued to his feet, accompanied by his Ukrainian mother, at a private party held at 5am on Saturday, before the attraction opened to the public.
“A Briton arrested after attempting to marry a nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris has been identified as a predatory paedophile on the run from authorities in Britain. The man was arrested as the dawn wedding was due to begin near Sleeping Beauty Castle at the French Disneyland theme park. He was initially thought to be 22 but police have revealed he is actually 39 and wanted by UK police. He has not been named due to French legal restrictions,” the Mirror reports.
Recall that four people – the likely groom, the child's mother from Ukraine, and two Latvian citizens – were detained. All of them are involved in a case of fraud and money laundering.
