British man arrested after fake Disneyland Paris wedding with 9yo girl

A British man has been arrested after he allegedly attempted to stage a fake wedding to a nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris.

The 22-year-old man was reportedly acting as the “groom” in the bizarre ceremony, which took place on Saturday morning in front of the famous Sleeping Beauty castle, according to The Sunday Times.

Following his arrest, he told police that the spectacle was intended as a video for social media.

Disneyland Paris staff became suspicious and alerted authorities after noticing the bride appeared alarmingly young. The presence of her family and a large number of guests also raised concerns.

It was later revealed that many of the “wedding guests” were hired actors who had been transported to the park and given minimal information about the nature of the event.

When Seine-et-Marne Police arrived on the scene, they found the child dressed in a bridal dress and wearing four-inch heels that had been taped to her feet.

The “groom” was taken into custody, along with the girl’s mother, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman.

Alexandre Verney, Assistant Prosecutor for the Seine-et-Marne region, confirmed that the young girl underwent a medical examination and was found to be unharmed.

Mr Verney also confirmed that two Latvian nationals, aged 24 and 55, were arrested in connection with the strange incident.

According to local reports, the 55-year-old Latvian told authorities he had been paid €12,000 (AU$21,550) to play the role of the bride’s father but only learned the girl’s age shortly before the event.

The child’s mother and the 55-year-old have since been released from police custody, while the British man and 24-year-old Latvian remain detained on suspicion of financial fraud.

Authorities believe that Disneyland Paris was misled about the nature of the event, with the organiser assuming the identity of a Latvian national and using fake documents to secure permission to hold a private event at the park.

A video obtained by a French news outlet reportedly shows around 100 guests seated as a violin trio performed in front of a flower-adorned stage.

One source who claims to have been a wedding guest told a French newspaper that everyone was “stunned” by what had unfolded.

“We all thought we were going to attend a wedding...no one expected it,” she said.

“Disneyland did things very well. They cancelled everything as soon as they realised the bride was a child. We were shocked to see that.”

A criminal investigation is now underway.