Brit, 22, arrested at Disneyland Paris after ‘trying to marry girl, 9, in bizarre ceremony at Sleeping Beauty castle'
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.
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Disneyland Paris rented out the iconic castle grounds to the organisers under the belief it was a genuine wedding
Credit: Alamy
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French cops arrested the Brit 'groom' and the girl's mum
Credit: Alamy
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Guests, recruited online through ads, thought they would be attending a genuine wedding rehearsal
Credit: Getty
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.
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Organisers had booked the space for $130,000 (£111,000), claiming it was for a genuine wedding ceremony, according to
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 was issued by the prosecutor's office in the town of Meaux, saying: "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.
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Meanwhile, the "guests" were 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".
Huge fire in Paris sends black smoke across city of light as fire crews scramble to extinguish blaze
They were told the filming was strictly confidential, BFM TV reports.
The prosecutor's statement added "police custody of the British suspect and a Latvian national was also extended on charges of fraud and money laundering".
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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 opened, according to the prosecutor's office.
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It added the young girl has not suffered any violence, as per a medical examination.
Officials say they are unsure about the nature of the event, including whether this was a prank.
The Brit "groom" claimed that he was the director of a production company and they were shooting a video, a police source told Le Parisien.
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"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."
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The prosecutor's office said: "So it wasn't a wedding, but a staged wedding filmed with around a hundred extras.
"They privatized
Disneyland Paris
, pretending it was a real wedding."
The two suspects are being questioned over "fraud and breach of trust" against Disneyland Paris, the prosecutor's office said.
They are set to appear before a judge at Meaux judicial court on Monday as part of a formal judicial investigation.
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Read more on the Irish Sun
In 2019, Michael Jackson reportedly exchanged rings with a nine-year-old child "bride" in a
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.
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Around 12 million tourists are said to visit Disneyland Paris each year
Credit: Alamy
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