Four Arrested For Staging Fake Wedding Between Adult Man And 9-Year-Old Girl At Disneyland Paris

Four people have been arrested at Disneyland Paris after allegedly attempting to stage a fake wedding between a 22-year-old British man and a 9-year-old Ukrainian girl. According to The Independent, the theme park had been privately hired for the ceremony on Saturday morning before it was open to the public. However, authorities were alerted soon after the Disneyland Paris staff noticed that the bride at a pre-scheduled wedding appeared alarmingly young. 

According to the outlet, four people have been arrested and taken into custody, including the girl's mother, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman. Two Latvian nationals, ages 24 and 55, are being questioned on suspicion of money laundering and fraud. The supposed groom is thought to have organised the event. 

Alexandre Verney, assistant prosecutor for the Seine-et-Marne department, said that the young girl received a medical examination, and it was determined that she was unharmed.  

"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," Mr Verney said. 

He also stated that authorities discovered that the wedding "guests" were hired actors who had been bused into the park for the event and given few details about what was scheduled to occur. 

The whole event was advertised as a "rehearsal" for a wedding in Disneyland. The advert sought to find 200 adults and 100 children aged between 5 and 15. 

"It wasn't a wedding but a staged wedding that was to be filmed with a hundred extras. They had privately hired Disneyland, claiming that it was a real marriage," Mr Verney said. 

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The child's mother and the 55-year-old Latvian have since been released from custody. The British man and the 24-year-old Latvian are still being held over potential financial fraud, officials stated. 

Speaking to a local media outlet, witnesses said that they were "shocked" when they first realised that the bride was a child. "We were not told at any time that it was about a film shoot. We all thought we were going to be part of a wedding," they said. 

"Everyone was stunned. No one expected this. Disneyland does things very well. They immediately cancelled when they understood that the bride was a kid. We were sickened by that," the witness added.