1 year ago
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A British man arrested at Disneyland Paris for allegedly trying to stage a mock wedding with a child bride has been named.
Paedophile Jacky Jhaj, 39, appeared at a French court on Monday charged in connection with the disturbing ceremony at the theme park on Saturday.
Jhaj is well-known to UK police and was placed on the sex offenders register in 2016 after being found guilty of sexual activity with two underage girls in Feltham, West London.
Reports suggest that around £110,000 was paid to hire Disneyland Paris for the private wedding event before the park opened to members of the public.
Le Parisien, which first broke the story, said park staff alerted authorities when they saw the child playing the role of the bride appearing in high heels, barely able to stand.
The BBC reported that the event was to be filmed by Jhaj’s team with around 100 French extras recruited to take part.
Following Jhaj’s arrest, the BBC reported that he appeared before a judge in Meaux, Paris, charged with fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and identity theft.
Also arrested in connection with the fake ceremony was the girl’s mother, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman. A 24-year-old Latvian woman said to be playing the role of the bride’s sister and a 55-year-old Latvian man were also arrested.
Staff at Disneyland reportedly claimed there were deceived by the event, with false documents used to secure the hire agreement.
Since Jhaj was registered on the sex offenders list in 2016, he has been accused of holding staged productions involving young people, according to a BBC investigation.
In 2023, the corporation alleged he hired hundreds of children to act as fans at a fake film premiere in London.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: "A 39-year-old man is wanted by the Met Police for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a breach of a Sex Offenders' Register notification requirement.
"We are aware the man has been arrested in France for other matters and officers are in contact with the French authorities."
The Independent has contacted the courthouse in Paris and Disneyland Paris.
