Disneyland issues statement as British man arrested over ‘wedding’ to nine-year-old girl

On Sunday, Disneyland Paris was horrified when a nine-year-old girl appeared in a wedding dress and matching heels for what is being reported as a “fake wedding” to a 22-year-old British man, who was then arrested.

According to local French outlets, police are currently investigating the Disneyland event that took place on June 22 before the park was opened to the public for general admission. The entire venue had reportedly been booked for the event, but once staff realised the so-called wedding was to a child, they called the police.

“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,” Alexandre Verney, assistant prosecutor for the Seine-et-Marne département, said in a statement. Two members of the party were also arrested over alleged money laundering and fraud.

“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.”

Credit: Matthieu Mirville/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

The currently unnamed British man reportedly spent weeks planning the events, hiring out the venue, which cost $150,000, and hundreds of extras to be featured in the makeshift wedding as guests.

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Some of those extras have since spoken out, with one telling local news: “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. 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.”

“I saw the panic of the Disney people, then, through the window, I saw a small child with a wedding dress on. A woman was carrying her in her arms and that’s when I understood that the child was really young,” another said.

A medical examination and investigation by police confirmed that the nine-year-old girl “had not been subjected to any violence or coercive acts.”

After the man was arrested, Disneyland issued a statement about the wedding

Following the news, a representative for Disneyland Paris issued a statement to France Inter radio. It confirmed the arrests had happened, and it was “cooperating fully with the investigation” after lodging a complaint because the man had submitted false documents on his identity.

“A private event booked at our destination was immediately cancelled by our staff after irregularities were identified. Police were called and arrived quickly,” the park told local radio.

It’s still not clear what the event was actually for.

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Featured image credit: Matthieu Mirville/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock