Featured Image Credit: BFM TV
Topics: Crime, Disney, World News
Rhianna Benson
A 22-year-old British man was apprehended by police at Disneyland Paris over the weekend for allegedly attempting to 'marry' a child during a staged wedding ceremony.
The 'groom' was scheduled to wed a nine-year-old girl on Saturday (21 Jun) in front of the family-friendly theme park's 'Sleeping Beauty Castle', according to The Sunday Times.
The illegal marriage was first flagged to French police by Disneyland staff, who'd observed that the 'bride' appeared to be of school age.
Upon his arrest, the man in question reportedly told responding officers that the wedding was part of a social media stunt, aimed at racking up hundreds of thousands of clicks online.
Advert
'Witnesses' to the ceremony quickly attested to the 'groom's' claims, admitting to being hired actors who'd been transported to the theme park via bus, unaware of the nature of the prank.
Speaking to the publication, Alexandre Verney, the assistant prosecutor for the Seine-et-Marne département, revealed that the female child had since received a full medical examination.
He added that it had been determined that she was unharmed, and that a further three individuals had been arrested in connection with the stunt - the child's mother - a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman - and two Latvian nations.
The younger - a 24-year-old female - had been hired as the bride's sister, whilst the elder - a 55-year-old male - had been hired to play her father.
The deputy prosecutor added: "The latter, who initiated the call to Disneyland Paris security, explained that he had been recruited to play the role of the bride’s father for [$13,840] and had discovered at the last minute that the bride was nine years old."
The office of the prosecution has since confirmed that the child's mother and the elder of the Latvian duo have been released from custody, whilst the 'groom' and the 24-year-old are being held over suspected financial fraud.
Unsuspecting 'guests' to the ceremony later told local outlet Le Parisien that they were 'shocked' to catch wind of the prankster's plans, and to have realised that the 'bride' was just a child.
One member of the hired party admitted: "We all thought we were going to attend a wedding. Everyone was stunned, no one expected it."
The same male witness continued of the theme park: "Disneyland did things very well. They canceled everything as soon as they realised the bride was a child. We were shocked to see that."
Further details surrounding the elaborate nature of the staged nuptials have since been revealed by BFMTV, who report that the Disney ceremony appeared to cost around $150,000.
The hefty price tag reportedly covered the 300 guests that had been hired for the soiree, as well as a string quartet - all of whom arrived at around 5am before the park was opened for regular guests.
Le Parisien claim, meanwhile, that the child appeared both 'scared and confused' as she approached her 'groom' wearing a full-fledged wedding dress and five-inch heels, which had allegedly been 'taped to her feet'.
Disneyland Paris has since told the New York post it is 'fully cooperating with the authorities in their investigation'.