Jacky Jhaj, a 39-year-old British man, is facing serious legal consequences after arranging a fake wedding ceremony in Disneyland Paris that was set to feature a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl as the bride. Jhaj, who has a criminal record including convictions for sexual activity with minors, was arrested after an actor he hired to play the father of the bride alerted the police on Saturday morning.
Jhaj has been under scrutiny from law enforcement and media outlets, including the BBC, which previously reported on his disturbing history of hiring children to participate in public events. This includes employing hundreds of young actors to feign admiration during a faux film premiere in London earlier this year, raising alarms about his continued interaction with minors.
In recent documents from French authorities, it was disclosed that Jhaj faced multiple charges, including fraud, breach of trust, and identity theft. His elaborate scheme for the Disneyland event purportedly involved around 100 extras from France, further emphasizing the extent of his deception. Reports indicate he had used a falsified Latvian ID to secure the venue for the mock wedding, whereby he aimed to film the entire ceremony.
Despite being a registered sex offender and under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, Jhaj continued to stage productions involving children, some of which reached millions of views on platforms like YouTube. The materials, which featured young actors—including those victimized in his prior criminal cases—were allowed to circulate for years before being reported and taken down by Google.
Family members of the previous victims have expressed outrage over the re-traumatization caused by these videos, with many questioning how platforms could allow such dangerous content to proliferate unchecked.
As the legal proceedings unfold, Jhaj's case has provoked a broader examination of child safety in entertainment and the responsibility of agencies and online platforms in protecting vulnerable individuals from exploitation.
