On June 21, 2025, Disneyland Paris became the backdrop for a disturbing incident when Jaskarn “Jacky” Jhaj, a 39-year-old British convicted pedophile, was arrested for orchestrating a fake wedding with a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl in front of the theme park’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. Jhaj, using a stolen Latvian identity and fake documents, spent $150,000 to stage the elaborate event, which he planned to film and broadcast on social media. The ceremony was halted when a vigilant whistleblower, Vitalijs, a 54-year-old Latvian former Soviet paratrooper hired as the “father of the bride,” alerted Disney Cast Members (Staff) to the shocking reality: the “bride” was a child. This incident has sparked outrage and raised serious questions about oversight at family-oriented venues and the monitoring of convicted sex offenders.
Jhaj’s history reveals a pattern of predatory behavior involving minors. In 2016, he was convicted in the UK for sexual activity with two 15-year-old girls, whom he groomed by posing as a film producer. Jhaj would drive around school gates in a silver Range Rover, offering rides, alcohol, and party invitations to young students. Despite being 29 Jhaj posed as a 21 year old. He was sentenced to four years in prison and placed on the UK Sex Offenders’ Register with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
After his release, Jhaj continued his manipulative stunts. In 2023, he staged a fake film premiere in Leicester Square, hiring a casting agency to recruit 90 minors and 100 young women to act as adoring fans, who were instructed to cry and faint upon seeing him. The agency claims that they were unaware of his criminal background. A year later, he was arrested after being spotted at a casting session outside of a dance school in east London. Someone had filmed him giving golden envelopes and a necklace to young girls, which prompted parents to alert police. Jhaj fled before the police arrived but was eventually caught.
Reports also note a bizarre incident where he detonated an explosion near London’s O2 Arena while naked, underscoring his erratic and dangerous behavior. At the time of the Disneyland Paris incident, Jhaj was on the run for violating his UK sex offender registry terms, prompting collaboration between French and UK authorities.
Just two months before the Disneyland Paris incident, Jhaj staged a fake funeral in south Kensington. He hired actors as young as 13 to play as mourners. Most of his stunts were featured on his YouTube channel which had over 12 million subscribers and 6 million views. However, the channel is no longer active as it was taken down by Google, YouTube’s parent company, in September of 2024 when BBC alerted them to its content.
For the Disneyland Paris “wedding,” Jhaj hired approximately 100 actors, including musicians and guests, through an online advertisement titled “prestige wedding rehearsal” that demanded “absolute confidentiality.” Scheduled before the park opened to the public, the event featured a nine-year-old girl dressed in a wedding gown and high heels. Vitalijs, the whistleblower, initially believed he was to “give away” the girl’s 41-year-old mother, learned only five hours before the ceremony that the “bride” was a little girl. Using his military training, he infiltrated the park without a pass and delivered a handwritten note to Disney Cast Members: “This is not a real wedding. The girl is nine years old!” Disneyland Paris promptly canceled the event and alerted French authorities, which led to Jhaj’s arrest.
French police detained four individuals: Jhaj, the girl’s 41-year-old Ukrainian mother, a 24-year-old Latvian woman who played the “bride’s sister,” and a 55-year-old Latvian man involved in the ceremony. The mother and the older man were released, but Jhaj and the 24-year-old woman remain in custody. Jhaj faces charges of fraud, money laundering, and identity theft, with investigations ongoing for potential corruption of a minor. The 24-year-old woman is an “assisted witness,” one step short of being charged. Concerns about grooming have surfaced, as Jhaj had previously taken the girl and her mother on vacation, though French prosecutors state the girl was not subjected to physical or sexual violence or coerced into participating however, Jhaj's past actions make it look otherwise. The case has been handed to an investigating magistrate, with a formal request for mutual legal assistance sent to UK authorities.
This incident exposes significant gaps in monitoring convicted sex offenders across borders and in vetting private events at family-friendly venues. Social media, particularly on X, erupted with disgust, with users calling the event “horrific” and praising Vitalijs’s bravery. The quick response by Disneyland Paris Cast Members averted a potentially dangerous situation, but Jhaj’s ability to orchestrate such an event undetected has alarmed authorities and the public. Disney allowing it to almost take place should alert the public as well. As investigations continue, the case underscores the need for stricter oversight and international cooperation to protect vulnerable children from predators like Jhaj. We will continue to follow this story as it progresses. Please sign up for updates.
