French police probe staged Disneyland ‘wedding' with minor
Paris, France – A fake wedding at Disneyland Paris in France triggered a police investigation on Sunday after the theme park's staff suspected that the 'bride' in the alleged ceremony was a 9-year-old Ukrainian girl.
The bizarre incident was first reported by the Le Parisien daily. The paper said a man had hired the park's complex – which can be used for private events outside opening hours – for a total of €130,000 (US$150,000) several weeks before.
Hundreds of extras were brought in to play the role of guests.
'A day worthy of a princess'
The staff were shocked to see the young girl, who was barely able to stand in high heels, the report said, adding that they alerted the police that it could be an illegal child marriage.
Authorities later said that the 'marriage' was staged.
The girl's mother reportedly told the investigators that she wanted her daughter to feel like a Disney 'princess' for the day.
'So it wasn't a wedding, but a staged wedding filmed with around a hundred extras. They hired Disneyland Paris, pretending it was a real wedding,' news agency AFP quoted deputy prosecutor Alexandre Verney as saying.
4 people taken into custody
A medical examination carried out on the girl showed that she had not suffered any violence.
Four people were taken into custody as the police looked into the circumstances of the incident.
The arrests included the so-called 'groom', a 22-year-old, presumably British man who allegedly organised the event, the Ukrainian mother and two Latvian nationals.
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