A mother of a 9-year-old girl was arrested along with a convicted sex offender after her daughter almost married the child predator in a staged wedding at Disneyland. Convict, 39-year-old Jacky Jhaj, allegedly planned the ceremony in Paris, France, on June 21.
BBC News reported that he paid about US$151,000 to use the venue for the mock wedding, which would have been privately recorded. Around 100 people were also paid to be extras in the ceremony, which never happened due to a report made by one of the extras. The complainant was hired to play the father of the 9-year-old girl. The report was made to Disneyland staff, prompting the park to step in and notify the police.
According to prosecutors, the little girl had arrived in France on June 19 for the staged ceremony. Officials said they found no signs of her being physically harmed or sexually assaulted. Prosecutors also stated that the 9-year-old was not forced to participate.
Disneyland staff reported that when the complaint was made about the disturbing ceremony, the child was dressed as a bride and was having her hair done.
Authorities arrested Jhaj at the venue. According to the New York Times, he was found to be using a stolen Latvian ID and forged documents to book the event. To avoid recognition, prosecutors said he even wore makeup to disguise his appearance. Jhaj, who is from the United Kingdom, now faces multiple charges including fraud, money laundering, and identity theft.
Three other individuals were also arrested in connection with the plot, including the girl’s mother, a 55-year-old man, and a 24-year-old woman cast to play the bride’s sister.
Jhaj became a convicted sex offender in 2016 over a case involving two 15-year-old girls. The British man was found guilty of having sexual relationships with the teens and given a four-year prison sentence in the U.K. At the time, reports say he would drive around schools pretending to be a Hollywood film producer to lure young girls with alcohol and false promises.