Brit who 'faked Disneyland wedding with nine-year-old' complains of violence in jail as he's denied bail
The Brit who was arrested for a 'faked Disneyland wedding' earlier this year has been denied bail by French authorities as he has complained of violence in his jail.
On 21 June, a part of Disneyland Paris had been hired out for a fake ceremony, but police were alerted when the bride appeared to be a young child.
A Disneyland Paris spokesperson said the event was 'immediately cancelled by our teams after the identification of important irregularities' and that 'police were quickly alerted and intervened on the spot as soon as possible'.
Four people were arrested and taken into custody, including the young girl's mother, while prosecutors claimed that dozens of extras had attended the fake wedding after having been hired to play the part of guests.
Advert
Among these was a man who says he was hired to play the father of the bride, with the 'bride' in this case being a young Ukrainian girl who had arrived in France just two days before the event.
The man, a 54-year-old from Latvia, said he quit when he realised how young she was and passed a note to Disneyland staff alerting them to what was happening.
Prosecutors have identified the 'groom' as a 39-year-old British man who was known to UK authorities 'for sexual offences against minors'.
The Brit arrested was Jaskarn 'Jacky' Jhaj, who in 2016 had been found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds after posing as a film producer.
According to the Daily Mail, Jhaj's legal representative had tried to negotiate bail conditions where he'd surrender his passport, and that the financial crimes he is being investigated for meant he could not be held beyond yesterday (23 October).
However, they added that the judge requested an extension to his jail time based on his criminal past in the UK.
Jhaj's lawyer reportedly claimed his client had been a 'victim of violence' while in jail, alleging that other inmates had set his mattress on fire.
He also argued that what happened earlier this year was 'simply the filming of a movie' and that Jhaj was just 'one of the actors' and did not organise the event.
Etienne Arnaud, Jhaj's representative, claimed that his client was 'under pressure' from other inmates who saw him as someone with a lot of money.
Jhaj is facing charges of fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and identity theft and is currently in jail ahead of a trial.
Given that the attempt at bail was unsuccessful Jhaj will remain in jail for the time being.
Topics: Crime, Disneyland, UK News, World News
Joe Harker