Latest news with #AlexandreVerney
LeMonde
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Four people arrested as French police probe fake Disneyland Paris 'marriage' with nine-year-old
French police were on Sunday, June 22, probing the circumstances of what appeared to be a stunt at Disneyland Paris. A group of adults is suspected of hiring the theme park and paying hundreds of extras to stage a fake marriage for a nine-year-old girl. Two people were held for questioning in the case, which initially caused alarm when staff alerted police on Saturday that it could have concerned an illegal child marriage. Investigators now believe that the whole thing was staged, with the girl's mother reportedly saying that she wanted her daughter to feel like a Disney "princess" for the day. "The event turned out to be a staged event, with the guests themselves extras" invited to be part of the stunt, deputy prosecutor Alexandre Verney said. "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," he told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Four people were arrested and taken into custody, and the questioning of two of them – suspected of fraud and money laundering – was extended on Saturday evening. They include the so-called "groom" who is believed to be behind the event, 22 years old and "presumed to be British," and a Latvian woman, 24, a source close to the case told AFP. The other two people detained – a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman, and a 55-year-old Latvian man – were released. The investigations, including a medical examination of the nine-year-old girl, a Ukrainian national, found that "she had not been subjected to any violence or coercive acts," the prosecutor's office said. According to Le Parisien daily, which first reported the incident, a man had several weeks previously hired the Disneyland Paris complex for a sum of €130,000 euros for several hours before it opened to the public. Staff were astonished when the nine-year-old appeared wearing high heels on Saturday morning, barely able to stand in the elaborate footwear, and they alerted the authorities, it said. The paper said the man who organized the event had submitted false documents concerning his identity and Disneyland filed a complaint.
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Police called after creepy child bride Disneyland ‘wedding'
A British man has been arrested after he allegedly attempted to stage a fake wedding to a nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris. The 22-year-old man was reportedly acting as the 'groom' in the bizarre ceremony, which took place on Saturday morning in front of the famous Sleeping Beauty castle, according to The Sunday Times. Following his arrest, he told police that the spectacle was intended as a video for social media. Disneyland Paris staff became suspicious and alerted authorities after noticing the bride appeared alarmingly young. The presence of her family and a large number of guests also raised concerns. It was later revealed that many of the 'wedding guests' were hired actors who had been transported to the park and given minimal information about the nature of the event. When Seine-et-Marne Police arrived on the scene, they found the child dressed in a bridal dress and wearing four-inch heels that had been taped to her feet. The 'groom' was taken into custody, along with the girl's mother, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman. Alexandre Verney, Assistant Prosecutor for the Seine-et-Marne region, confirmed that the young girl underwent a medical examination and was found to be unharmed. Mr Verney also confirmed that two Latvian nationals, aged 24 and 55, were arrested in connection with the strange incident. According to local reports, the 55-year-old Latvian told authorities he had been paid €12,000 (AU$21,550) to play the role of the bride's father but only learned the girl's age shortly before the event. The child's mother and the 55-year-old have since been released from police custody, while the British man and 24-year-old Latvian remain detained on suspicion of financial fraud. Authorities believe that Disneyland Paris was misled about the nature of the event, with the organiser assuming the identity of a Latvian national and using fake documents to secure permission to hold a private event at the park. A video obtained by a French news outlet reportedly shows around 100 guests seated as a violin trio performed in front of a flower-adorned stage. One source who claims to have been a wedding guest told a French newspaper that everyone was 'stunned' by what had unfolded. 'We all thought we were going to attend a one expected it,' she said. 'Disneyland did things very well. They cancelled everything as soon as they realised the bride was a child. We were shocked to see that.' A criminal investigation is now underway.
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
British man arrested after attempting to stage fake wedding with 9-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris
A 22-year-old British man has been arrested after allegedly attempting to stage a fake wedding ceremony with a nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris, according to a report by The Sunday Times. The shocking incident unfolded on the morning of Saturday, 21 June, in front of the park's iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle. A fake child wedding at Disneyland Paris shocked guests and led to arrests.(Representational image/Unsplash) (Also read: $900 for breakfast? Cost of Disneyland meal divides internet: 'This is pure theft') Authorities told The Sunday Times that the man, who posed as the groom in the ceremony, claimed the event was intended purely for the creation of social media content. However, the seriousness of the situation came to light after Disneyland Paris staff raised concerns when they noticed the supposed bride appeared alarmingly young. The event, scheduled as part of a pre-booked wedding package, quickly came under scrutiny, leading to police intervention. Further investigation revealed that the guests at the wedding were actually hired actors who had been transported to the park with minimal knowledge about the event's true nature. Multiple arrests made Alexandre Verney, assistant prosecutor for the Seine-et-Marne département, confirmed to The Sunday Times that the child was given a medical examination and was found to be physically unharmed. In connection with the incident, police arrested four individuals: the British man alleged to be the groom, the child's 41-year-old Ukrainian mother, and two Latvian nationals aged 24 and 55. While the mother and the 55-year-old Latvian have since been released from custody, Verney said the British man and the 24-year-old Latvian remain detained as authorities explore potential charges of financial fraud. Guests left stunned Eyewitnesses at the park expressed disbelief upon realising the child's role in the ceremony. Speaking to French news outlet Le Parisien, one attendee said, 'We all thought we were going to attend a wedding. Everyone was stunned, no one expected it.' (Also read: Woman surprised to see Hong Kong Disneyland nearly empty: 'Is there a recession?') Another added, 'Disneyland did things very well. They cancelled everything as soon as they realised the bride was a child. We were shocked to see that.'
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
French police probe fake Disneyland ‘marriage' with nine-year-old
Two people were held for questioning in the case, which initially caused alarm when staff alerted police on June 21 that it could have concerned an illegal child marriage. PHOTO: PIXABAY PARIS - French police were probing on June 22, the circumstances of a bizarre stunt at Disneyland outside of Paris, with a group of adults suspected of hiring the theme park and paying hundreds of extras to stage a fake marriage for a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl. Two people were held for questioning in the case, which initially caused alarm when staff alerted police on June 21 that it could have concerned an illegal child marriage. But investigators now believe that the so-called 'marriage' was staged, with the girl's mother reportedly saying that she wanted her to feel like a Disney 'princess' for the day. 'The event turned out to be a staged event, with the guests themselves extras' invited to be part of the stunt, deputy prosecutor Alexandre Verney said. '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,' he told AFP. Four people were arrested and taken into custody, and the questioning of two of them – suspected of fraud and money laundering – was extended on the evening of June 21. They are, a 22-year-old 'presumed to be British', so-called 'groom' who is believed to be behind the event, and a Latvian woman, 24, said a source close to the case. However, the other two people detained – a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman, and a 55-year-old Latvian man – were released. The investigations, including a medical examination of the nine-year-old girl, a Ukrainian national, found that 'she had not been subjected to any violence or coercive acts,' the prosecutor's office said. According to the Le Parisien daily, which first reported the incident, a man had several weeks previously hired the Disneyland Paris complex for a sum of 130,000 euros (S$192,556) for several hours before it opened to the public. Staff were astonished when the nine-year-old appeared wearing high heels on the morning of June 21, barely able to stand in the elaborate footwear, and they alerted the authorities, it said. Le Parisien said the man who organised the event had submitted false documents concerning his identity and Disneyland filed a complaint. Hundreds of extras were bussed in to play the part of the guests, it said, while the girl's mother told investigators she wanted to organise a 'day worthy of a princess' for her daughter. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Int'l Business Times
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
French Police Probe Fake Disneyland 'Marriage' With Nine-year-old
French police were on Sunday probing the circumstances of a bizarre stunt at Disneyland outside of Paris, with a group of adults suspected of hiring the theme park and paying hundreds of extras to stage a fake marriage for a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl. Two people were held for questioning in the case, which initially caused alarm when staff alerted police on Saturday that it could have concerned an illegal child marriage. But investigators now believe that the so-called "marriage" was staged, with the girl's mother reportedly saying that she wanted her to feel like a Disney "princess" for the day. "The event turned out to be a staged event, with the guests themselves extras" invited to be part of the stunt, deputy prosecutor Alexandre Verney said. "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," he told AFP. Four people were arrested and taken into custody, and the questioning of two of them -- suspected of fraud and money laundering -- was extended on Saturday evening. They are the so-called "groom" who is believed to be behind the event, 22 years old and "presumed to be British", and a Latvian woman, 24, said a source close to the case. However, the other two people detained -- a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman, and a 55-year-old Latvian man -- were released. The investigations, including a medical examination of the nine-year-old girl, a Ukrainian national, found that "she had not been subjected to any violence or coercive acts," the prosecutor's office said. According to the Le Parisien daily, which first reported the incident, a man had several weeks previously hired the Disneyland Paris complex for a sum of 130,000 euros ($150,000) for several hours before it opened to the public. Staff were astonished when the nine-year-old appeared wearing high heels on Saturday morning, barely able to stand in the elaborate footwear, and they alerted the authorities, it said. The paper said the man who organised the event had submitted false documents concerning his identity and Disneyland filed a complaint. Hundreds of extras were bussed in to play the part of the guests, it said, while the girl's mother told investigators she wanted to organise a "day worthy of a princess" for her daughter.
