By M10News Staff
June 24, 2025 | Washington, D.C.
MEAUX, France – A convicted British sex offender has been charged in France after allegedly orchestrating a staged wedding at Disneyland Paris involving a nine-year-old girl, French prosecutors announced.
The 39-year-old man, who reportedly posed as the groom, was arrested at the theme park on Saturday and faces multiple charges, including fraud, abuse of trust, money laundering, and identity theft.
The elaborate ruse came to light when a man hired to portray the “father of the bride” alerted police. Jean-Baptiste Bladier, the prosecutor for the tribunal in Meaux, said the man claimed he had been paid €12,000 (£10,000) to participate and only realized the girl’s age at the last minute.
According to prosecutors, the girl, a Ukrainian national, had arrived in France two days earlier with her 41-year-old mother.
Four people were arrested in connection with the incident: the British suspect, the girl’s mother, a 24-year-old Latvian woman who played the bride’s sister, and a 55-year-old Latvian man hired to act as her father.
Prosecutors said Disneyland Paris was deceived into hosting the private event after falsified identification documents were used to book the venue. Approximately 100 hired extras were presented as legitimate wedding guests.
Preliminary findings suggest the suspect had undergone professional makeup to significantly alter his appearance for the event. The ceremony was fictional and reportedly intended for private filming.
The suspect appeared before the Meaux tribunal on Monday, where formal charges were filed. French authorities, in cooperation with UK officials, confirmed that the man is a registered sex offender currently subject to a national arrest warrant in Britain for breaching the terms of his registration.
“In the past, [he] was convicted of several offences, including sexual offences against minors,” Mr. Bladier said. “He is listed in the British sex offender registry and is currently wanted by judicial authorities in his home country.”
The 24-year-old Latvian woman remains a witness in the ongoing investigation, Mr. Bladier added.
Disneyland Paris has been contacted for comment.
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