A man recently apprehended for allegedly attempting to wed a young girl reportedly has a lengthy criminal record.
Earlier today (June 24), reports surfaced indicating that a British national has been charged with multiple offenses such as fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and identity theft after organizing a $115,000 wedding at Disneyland Paris.
While it’s not unusual for couples to choose the Paris-based theme park as a wedding venue, the event’s planners were unaware that the bride was a nine-year-old girl, who attended the event along with her mother.
The ceremony was supposed to occur on Saturday, but the park staff alerted French authorities upon noticing the bride-to-be, suspecting it to be an illegal child marriage.
In addition to the young girl’s mother, other family members were also present, along with 100 guests, according to Mail Online.
The entire event was later revealed to have been staged, with the girl’s mother stating she wanted her daughter to experience being a ‘princess’ for the day.
Deputy prosecutor Alexandre Verney explained to Le Monde: “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.”
It was reported that the event was intended to be broadcast on social media.
Though it seems the man did not intend to genuinely marry the young girl, the ruse has unveiled his criminal background.
Prosecutors in Meaux, located east of Paris, disclosed that the ‘groom’, assumed to be a 39-year-old man, is recognized in Britain for ‘sexual offences against minors’.
Their statement continued: “He is registered on the British sex offenders register and is currently wanted at the national level by the judicial authorities of his country of origin, for failing to comply with the obligations arising from said registration.”
The Briton has been described as the ‘mastermind’ behind the peculiar scheme, though it is reported that some Latvian nationals assisted in its organization.
The ‘groom’ is among four individuals detained. The child’s mother, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman, a 24-year-old Latvian woman who posed as the bride’s sister, and a 55-year-old Latvian man involved in the ‘ceremony’ have also been arrested, according to The Standard.
If you have been affected by these issues or wish to speak confidentially about a child’s welfare, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)) is available 24/7 and accepts calls from the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.