British man charged for Disneyland 'mock wedding' to nine-year-old girl is a wanted paedophile

ITV News

19 hours ago

A British man who has been charged for organising a "mock wedding" in Disneyland Paris involving a nine-year-old girl is a wanted sex offender, French prosecutors have said.
The young girl was due to play the role of the bride in the reportedly "fictional wedding", which was meant to be recorded in a private capacity.
Police were called to the theme park on Saturday by a 55-year-old "wedding guest" who later claimed he was hired to play the father of the bride.
A statement released by a prosecutor in the case, Jean-Baptiste Bladier, said the man "explained he was paid 12,000 euros to play the role of the father of the bride and realised at the last minute that she was nine-years-old."
The 39-year-old British man, who reportedly played the "groom" in the fake ceremony, faces several counts of fraud, abuse of trust, money laundering and identity theft after his arrest at the entertainment resort.
Mr Bladier said on Tuesday that after making contact with the British authorities, they have identified the British suspect as a convicted sexual offender who is wanted in the UK.
Mr Bladier wrote that the suspect "was reportedly convicted in the past, including for offences of a sexual nature against minors.
"He is, as such, listed in the British database of sexual offenders and is currently wanted nationally by the judicial authorities of his country of origin due to a breach of the requirements deriving from said order."
He added that the "groom" had allegedly been "made-up professionally so that his face appeared totally different from his own."
Prosecutors claim that the nine-year-old girl is a Ukrainian national, who had arrived in France two days before the mock ceremony, with her 41-year-old mother.
Four people in total were arrested on Saturday, the British "groom", the young girl's mother, a 24-year-old Latvian woman who played the "sister of the bride", and the 55-year-old Latvian man hired to play the "father of the bride."
The 24-year-old Latvian woman currently remains a witness in the investigation.
Disneyland Paris was allegedly "deceived" after the identity of a Latvian man and fake identification documents were used to secure the private event at the park, at the cost of around £115,000 according to reports.
Prosecutors add that about a hundred people were hired as extras and falsely present to Disneyland as wedding guests.
Disneyland Paris has been approached for comments.