French police 'arrest 22-year-old British man accused of trying to marry girl aged nine at Disneyland Paris'

French police have arrested a 22-year-old man believed to be British amid claims he tried to marry a nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris on Saturday.
Park staff were shocked to see the child, along with her family and around 100 guests, turn up for the event and quickly called the police.
Officers arrived on the scene and took the man into custody along with the girl's 41-year-old mother, who is believed to be Ukrainian.
A statement issued by the prosecutor's office in the nearby town of Meaux said: 'Four people were arrested and questioned: the groom, who was believed to be the organiser of the event and is presumed to be British and aged 22; the mother of the child, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman; and two Latvian nationals aged 55 and 24.'
It added that the 'police custody of the British suspect and a Latvian national was also extended on charges of fraud and money laundering.'
The prosecutor's office also confirmed that a criminal investigation has opened.
The wedding ceremony was scheduled to take place at dawn as private events such as weddings at the theme park are organised outside public opening hours.
Disneyland Paris told French newspaper Le Parisien that the event was immediately shut down by its team and that guests were stopped from entering the premises.
The circumstances around the wedding remain unclear, but the prosecutor's office said that a medical examination of the young girl found that she had not suffered any violence.
They also said that they were not ruling out that the event may have been a prank, with the guests attending as possible 'extras'.
A police source later told Le Parisien that the groom had said that he was the director of a production company and that they were shooting a video.
A source who claimed to have been a wedding guest told the French newspaper: 'We all thought we were going to attend a wedding... Everyone was stunned, no one expected it. Disneyland did things very well.
'They canceled everything as soon as they realized the bride was a child. We were shocked to see that.'
'So it wasn't a wedding, but a staged wedding filmed with around a hundred extras. They privatized Disneyland Paris, pretending it was a real wedding,' the prosecutor's office later explained to AFP.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Telegraph

an hour ago

• Telegraph

Hero police officer loses job after speeding on way to work

A police officer who won a commendation for rescuing a toddler from a burning house has been sacked after speeding while dashing to work during a staffing crisis. Custody Sgt Tim Perrin was dismissed by Devon and Cornwall Police after being accused of dishonesty when he attempted to appeal against a speeding fine. The father of two, who had a 20-year unblemished career in the police, was sacked last week over the single incident that occurred almost two years ago. The 43-year-old, who is now working as a maintenance man in Torquay, said the experience has completely shattered his faith in the police misconduct process and makes him fear for the future of the service. The case comes after Pc Lorne Castle was dismissed by neighbouring Dorset Police for swearing at a teenage knife-wielding thug during an arrest in Bournemouth in January 2024. Mr Perrin accused Devon and Cornwall Police of putting more resources into investigating his case than trying to solve real crimes. He said: 'I am not surprised they came to the decision they did in the end as cancel culture in the police is rife. There is a huge over-reaction to things nowadays. 'The pendulum has swung completely in the opposite direction and forces are just desperate to show that they are squeaky clean. Officers are no longer given the benefit of the doubt. 'But the result is that experienced officers are leaving in their droves. They have just had enough and forces are having to replace them with young inexperienced recruits. It is bad for policing and bad for the public.' The incident dates back to August 2023 when Sgt Perrin's boss asked if he would be able to travel to Plymouth the following morning to help cover a staffing crisis in the custody suite there. The car journey from his home near Torquay would normally take around 45 minutes but just before he was about to set off he said he received a message from an officer at the Plymouth station asking him to hurry as things were getting out of control. Heeding the call, Sgt Perrin admitted putting his foot down in order to get there as soon as was safely possible. But at some point during the journey he was flashed by a speed camera doing 48mph in a 30mph zone. A few days later he received a notice of intended prosecution in the post but decided to appeal against the ticket on the basis he believed had been fulfilling a valid policing purpose. His boss agreed he should challenge the ticket, but when the appeal was rejected Sgt Perrin accepted the decision, paid the fine and took the points. He assumed that would be the end of the matter but then in January 2024 he was informed he was being investigated for gross misconduct over his allegedly 'dishonest account'. The force's department of professional standards had raised suspicions over some alleged inconsistencies in his account and suggested he had lied about receiving a call urging him to get to Plymouth as soon as possible on the day of his speeding offence. Mr Perrin said: 'To receive gross misconduct papers for only trying to do my job and help out my colleagues was quite a shock but initially I thought, well, I haven't done anything wrong so this won't go anywhere. 'I was interviewed in April or May last year and asked to give a very detailed account of the incident, which was almost a year earlier. 'I have made that journey to Plymouth dozens of times so being asked to recall every aspect of a specific day was very challenging. 'They tried to speak to officers who had been on duty at Plymouth who might have made the phone call to me but there was nothing remarkable about this and so understandably they could not recall whether they had spoken to me or not. 'Throughout all this though I still thought 'well it will be ok, the system will see me right'. 'But when I was informed that they were taking it to a hearing I began to worry because I know how these things work.' 'They discredit you' Sgt Perrin faced a misconduct panel on June 16 where, on the balance of probabilities, the case against was found proven and he was dismissed. He said: 'The barrister who was representing the force grilled me for several hours, ridiculing and patronising me. It just felt that the sole purpose of the exercise was not to get to the truth but to get me sacked. 'They discredit you and make you look like you have done something wrong. 'I tried to explain that perhaps my account was poorly worded in places and left open to interpretation for people who worked outside of the custody environment but in no way had I been dishonest. 'It was found that gross misconduct had been proven on the balance of probabilities and as this was an honesty and integrity issue, the only outcome could be dismissal without notice. 'Despite all the good character evidence put forward, despite the huge impact this would have on my ability to look after my family and pay my bills and how well I was respected in my local community, I was sacked. 'I do not understand how being dismissed is proportionate to the circumstances. I have been treated worse than any criminal, the time and effort to investigate this is far beyond what the force would invest into investigating actual crime. 'I would estimate the cost to the public would be well over six digits yet there are no resources or money to actually attend burglaries or shopliftings, for example.' String of commendations In 2008 Mr Perrin received a string of commendations after he entered a burning building to rescue a toddler who had become trapped on the third floor. In a glowing citation the local fire chief wrote: 'Pc Perrin and his colleagues placed themselves at considerable risk and are commended for their bravery in saving the life of this child.' On another occasion, he won praise for being part of a Taser crew who successfully tackled a man believed to be armed with a shotgun and he received a third commendation for bravely rescuing a man who had fallen down a coastal cliff during a storm. Mr Perrin said the outcome has had a devastating impact on him and his partner, Lisa, who is also a serving police officer. He added: 'Things have changed for the worse. Officers are not allowed to make mistakes any more. It is one strike and you are out.' A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'Following a two-day gross misconduct panel hearing this week, Mr Perrin was found to have been culpable for gross misconduct and dismissed with immediate effect. 'Mr Perrin was found to have breached standards of professional behaviour in terms of honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct. 'This related to his reply to a notice of intended prosecution following a speeding offence in his private vehicle. The panel did not accept the account provided by the officer to be true and found the actions of this officer were deliberately misleading for personal gain representing a lack of integrity and undermining public confidence in the police service. 'As with all cases of this nature, a full report from the gross misconduct panel chair will be submitted to the force in due course, provided to Mr Perrin and published on our website.'

Times

5 hours ago

• Times

Inside Coco Chanel's Riviera holiday hideaway

T he year is 1938 and Salvador Dalí is in full artistic flow, painting on the balcony of the west wing of Coco Chanel's villa La Pausa, where the shadow-eliminating north light is best. In the evening he would roll back the salon rugs and beckon guests to dance while the renowned pianist Misia Sert played, before retiring to the guesthouse with his wife, Gala. In total he completed 11 paintings at La Pausa, one time staying there for four months. 'The vibe was chilled, guests could do as they pleased,' says Yana Peel, Chanel's president of arts, culture and heritage. For the likes of Dalí, Jean Cocteau and Igor Stravinsky there were no schedules; Chanel herself rarely emerged until 1pm, and there was no dress code — the designer found comfort in stripy tops, wool trousers and cork-soled espadrilles. Meals were served buffet style (platters of pasta, French potatoes and roast beef), and staff appeared frequently to replenish champagne and pour fine wine. There were Easter parties, masked balls and tennis tournaments, views of a glittering Mediterranean sea under an enormous sky.

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

French police 'arrest 22-year-old British man accused of trying to marry girl aged nine at Disneyland Paris'

French police have arrested a 22-year-old man believed to be British amid claims he tried to marry a nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris on Saturday. Park staff were shocked to see the child, along with her family and around 100 guests, turn up for the event and quickly called the police. Officers arrived on the scene and took the man into custody along with the girl's 41-year-old mother, who is believed to be Ukrainian. A statement issued by the prosecutor's office in the nearby town of Meaux said: 'Four people were arrested and questioned: the groom, who was believed to be the organiser of the event and is presumed to be British and aged 22; the mother of the child, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman; and two Latvian nationals aged 55 and 24.' It added that the 'police custody of the British suspect and a Latvian national was also extended on charges of fraud and money laundering.' The prosecutor's office also confirmed that a criminal investigation has opened. The wedding ceremony was scheduled to take place at dawn as private events such as weddings at the theme park are organised outside public opening hours. Disneyland Paris told French newspaper Le Parisien that the event was immediately shut down by its team and that guests were stopped from entering the premises. The circumstances around the wedding remain unclear, but the prosecutor's office said that a medical examination of the young girl found that she had not suffered any violence. They also said that they were not ruling out that the event may have been a prank, with the guests attending as possible 'extras'. A police source later told Le Parisien that the groom had said that he was the director of a production company and that they were shooting a video. A source who claimed to have been a wedding guest told the French newspaper: 'We all thought we were going to attend a wedding... Everyone was stunned, no one expected it. Disneyland did things very well. 'They canceled everything as soon as they realized the bride was a child. We were shocked to see that.' 'So it wasn't a wedding, but a staged wedding filmed with around a hundred extras. They privatized Disneyland Paris, pretending it was a real wedding,' the prosecutor's office later explained to AFP.