Latest news with #Vitalijs
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
British paedophile who has been charged over Disneyland Paris wedding 'had taken young girl and her mum on holiday before fake ceremony'
A notorious British paedophile allegedly took a nine-year-old girl and her mother on holiday a year before he arranged to 'marry her' in a grim ceremony at Disneyland Paris. Jacky Jhaj, 39, attempted to marry the Ukrainian girl in a staged ceremony last month and was arrested last week. He reportedly spent £111,000 on the bizarre ceremony with more than 100 actors hired to play guests at the event, while the schoolgirl was meant to act as his 'bride'. Jhaj – who is on a sex offenders register in the UK following criminal convictions – remains in custody in France after being charged with a series of criminal offences. In preparation for the event, Jhaj had been in contact with the family for more than a year and took them on a family holiday. Today a former Russian special forces paratrooper today emerged as the whistleblower who prevented the paedophile from going through with the ceremony. The 54-year-old Latvian, who only uses his first name of Vitalijs for security reasons, helped get Londoner Jhaj arrested a week ago last Saturday. On Wednesday, Vitalijs said he had been offered the equivalent of £550 to play 'the father of the bride'. He assumed he was giving away the 41-year-old mother, but when he realised the betrothed was in fact her little girl, he exploded with anger. Vitalijs, who served as a paratrooper in the Red Army before the collapse of the old Soviet Union, only found out about the child's role 'five hours before the ceremony' and immediately quit, he said. Despite Jhaj telling him to stay away, he travelled to Disneyland to alert management about the involvement of the minor. 'I knew I had to do something,' he said. 'I sneaked into Disneyland without a pass.' Vitalijs, who does not speak French or English, used his special forces training to get into the theme park – the most popular in Europe – and carried a note with him. It read: 'This is not a real wedding. The girl is nine years old!' Vitalijs said he approached the wedding stage, and handed the message to a Disney employee, who ensured the 'wedding was stopped immediately.' Police arrived within minutes, and a number of suspects including Jhaj were arrested and taken into custody. Vitalijs was driven to a police station, where he was shown a fake British passport with his photo on it. Vitalijs said: 'I found out that my passport had been forged. I only remember the first name, Mikhail. I don't remember the surname. 'I remembered that a woman in Riga [Latvia] had asked me for a passport photo for a pass to Disneyland. 'Of course, I told the police that it wasn't me and that it wasn't my passport.' Vitalijs was released without charge, as were the Ukrainian mother and child. Vitalijs had got to know the pair after meeting them at a casting session for the Disneyland stunt in the Czech Republic in May. She told him she had known Jhaj for a year, and even gone on holiday with him, while also accepting cash from him. Jhaj has since claimed: 'I'm just a simple actor who took part in a film shoot'. Jhaj made the comment to examining magistrates in Meaux, east of the capital city, after his arrest. His lawyer, Jean-Christophe Ramadier, said Jhaj was solely placed in 'provisional custody' because 'he had no guarantee of legal representation in France, where he has no address.' He was guilty of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds in Britain in 2016. Jean-Baptiste Bladier, the Meaux prosecutor, confirmed the Ukrainian child had not suffered 'any violence, neither physical nor sexual,' and had 'not been forced into playing the bride.' Mr Bladier said Jhaj 'played the role of the groom after having been professionally made up to display a face completely different from his own.' An unidentified 24-year-old Lativian woman is also being held in connection with the stunt. The investigation into the fake wedding continues.
The Irish Sun
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Brit paedophile behind fake Disneyland wedding ‘took child bride, 9, and her mum on holiday' before grim ceremony
A CONVICTED Brit paedophile allegedly took a nine-year-old "child bride" and her mum on holiday a year before arranging a grim wedding ceremony. 6 Convicted Brit paedophile Jacky Jhaj allegedly took his nine-year-old 'child bride' and her mum on holiday Credit: MET Police 6 Jhaj, 39, attempted to marry the young Ukrainian girl in Disneyland last month Credit: 6 His sick plan was foiled by Vitalijs - a former Russian special forces paratrooper Credit: Peter Allen Jhaj reportedly spent over £111,000 on the sick wedding plans as he hired more than 100 actors to play guests at the staged event. One of those recruited through a Devastated Vitalijs, 54, said he had no idea what he had signed up for prior to turning up in Paris. The former Russian special forces paratrooper was one of the first to read more in Jacky Jhaj Vitalijs says one major warning sign of Jhaj's true intentions came after he spoke to the bride-to-be's mum. She revealed the London-born predator had been in constant contact with the family for over a year. Jhaj had spoiled the mum with money and gifts and even paid for a family holiday, Vitalijs claimed. He told Most read in The Sun "He paid her money and helped her family. "They went somewhere together to relax, the three of them. I think he won her over with gifts." Massive fireball explosion near O2 arena caused by convicted paedophile who blew up BBC lorry while filming NAKED Vitalijs, who only uses his first name for security reasons, also revealed he was offered £550 to play "the father of the bride". But he was lied to as he signed up to give away the girl's 41-year-old mother. He soon realised inside the theme park the "bride" was instead an underage girl as he immediately refused to be a part of the bizarre act. Vitalijs then hatched a plan to get the ceremony cancelled as he broke into the park without a pass on the morning of the planned event. Vitalijs approached the wedding stage and handed a note to Disney staff, who saw a "scared and confused" child in a big dress with four-inch heels taped to her feet. Staff managed to stop the wedding immediately and called the French cops. Several suspects were arrested within minutes - including Jhaj and the girl's mum. Jean-Baptiste Bladier, the Meaux prosecutor, confirmed the Ukrainian child had not suffered "any violence, neither physical nor sexual" and had "not been forced into playing the bride". The mum was later released without charge but Jhaj was held after being labelled the "mastermind" behind the operations. It was then revealed that he had rented the resort outside of its opening hours to host the fake wedding. His sick acts landed him charges of fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and identity theft. He was also placed under assisted witness status for corruption of a minor. After his arrest, the convicted paedophile told the examining magistrates in Meaux: "I'm just a simple actor who took part in a film shoot". His dark past was soon uncovered as in 2016 Jhaj was found guilty of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds in Britain. The investigation into the fake wedding continues. Who is Jacky Jhaj? CONVICTED paedophile Jacky Jhaj, 39, has been previously jailed in the UK for child sex offences. He was The disgraced director and actor, from Feltham, was jailed in 2016 for four years after being found guilty on four counts of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds. Before his arrest, he drove around the streets of Hounslow, offering girls alcohol and claiming to be a Hollywood film producer. But the convicted paedophile has pulled a string of bizarre stunts since being released from jail. In September 2024, Jhaj The incident was reported to be a film production stunt. But it triggered panic, with hundreds of calls flooding emergency services as locals feared a terrorist attack. Residents were not warned beforehand and only found out afterwards through a post on the Borough of Greenwich's official Facebook page. A year before the explosion, The shoot, which shows some of the children touching Jhaj, took place on October 17, 2023, the The BBC reported that the organiser of the event - known as "Project BRT" - hired 90 children aged six to 14 from an agency called Jam 200 The production also booked around 100 young women between the ages of 16 to 24 from Uni-versal Extras. 6 A bracelet given to guests at the fake ceremony showed the name 'Jack' as the pretend husband on behalf of paedophile Jacky Credit: Instagram/bfmtv 6 Jhaj was charged with several offences by French police 6 The grim ceremony was due to take place in Disneyland Paris
The Sun
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Brit paedophile behind fake Disneyland wedding ‘took child bride, 9, and her mum on holiday' before grim ceremony
A CONVICTED Brit paedophile allegedly took a nine-year-old "child bride" and her mum on holiday a year before arranging a grim wedding ceremony. Jacky Jhaj, 39, attempted to marry the young Ukrainian girl in Disneyland last month before the "dangerous sexual predator" was arrested. 6 6 6 Jhaj reportedly spent over £111,000 on the sick wedding plans as he hired more than 100 actors to play guests at the staged event. One of those recruited through a social media callout was told he would play the 'father' of the bride. Devastated Vitalijs, 54, said he had no idea what he had signed up for prior to turning up in Paris. The former Russian special forces paratrooper was one of the first to raise the alarm about the sickening marriage plot. Vitalijs says one major warning sign of Jhaj's true intentions came after he spoke to the bride-to-be's mum. She revealed the London-born predator had been in constant contact with the family for over a year. Jhaj had spoiled the mum with money and gifts and even paid for a family holiday, Vitalijs claimed. He told The Telegraph: "This Ukrainian woman [the mother] told me that she had known this Jacky for a year. "He paid her money and helped her family. "They went somewhere together to relax, the three of them. I think he won her over with gifts." Vitalijs, who only uses his first name for security reasons, also revealed he was offered £550 to play "the father of the bride". But he was lied to as he signed up to give away the girl's 41-year-old mother. He soon realised inside the theme park the "bride" was instead an underage girl as he immediately refused to be a part of the bizarre act. Vitalijs then hatched a plan to get the ceremony cancelled as he broke into the park without a pass on the morning of the planned event. Vitalijs approached the wedding stage and handed a note to Disney staff, who saw a "scared and confused" child in a big dress with four-inch heels taped to her feet. Staff managed to stop the wedding immediately and called the French cops. Several suspects were arrested within minutes - including Jhaj and the girl's mum. Jean-Baptiste Bladier, the Meaux prosecutor, confirmed the Ukrainian child had not suffered "any violence, neither physical nor sexual" and had "not been forced into playing the bride". The mum was later released without charge but Jhaj was held after being labelled the "mastermind" behind the operations. It was then revealed that he had rented the resort outside of its opening hours to host the fake wedding. His sick acts landed him charges of fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and identity theft. He was also placed under assisted witness status for corruption of a minor. After his arrest, the convicted paedophile told the examining magistrates in Meaux: "I'm just a simple actor who took part in a film shoot". His dark past was soon uncovered as in 2016 Jhaj was found guilty of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds in Britain. The investigation into the fake wedding continues. Who is Jacky Jhaj? CONVICTED paedophile Jacky Jhaj, 39, has been previously jailed in the UK for child sex offences. He was on the run from British authorities at the time of the sick wedding stunt, French prosecutors say. The disgraced director and actor, from Feltham, was jailed in 2016 for four years after being found guilty on four counts of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds. Before his arrest, he drove around the streets of Hounslow, offering girls alcohol and claiming to be a Hollywood film producer. But the convicted paedophile has pulled a string of bizarre stunts since being released from jail. In September 2024, Jhaj staged an explosion using an old BBC truck and Union Jack-draped vehicles packed with explosives, filming himself naked as the blaze spiralled out of control behind him. The incident was reported to be a film production stunt. But it triggered panic, with hundreds of calls flooding emergency services as locals feared a terrorist attack. Residents were not warned beforehand and only found out afterwards through a post on the Borough of Greenwich's official Facebook page. A year before the explosion, footage surfaced of Jhaj mixing with around 200 children and 100 young women at a film shoot in London's Leicester Square. The shoot, which shows some of the children touching Jhaj, took place on October 17, 2023, the BBC revealed at the time. The BBC reported that the organiser of the event - known as "Project BRT" - hired 90 children aged six to 14 from an agency called Jam 200 The production also booked around 100 young women between the ages of 16 to 24 from Uni-versal Extras. 6 6 6
Scottish Sun
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Brit paedophile behind fake Disneyland wedding ‘took child bride, 9, and her mum on holiday' before grim ceremony
A CONVICTED Brit paedophile allegedly took a nine-year-old "child bride" and her mum on holiday a year before arranging a grim wedding ceremony. Jacky Jhaj, 39, attempted to marry the young Ukrainian girl in Disneyland last month before the "dangerous sexual predator" was arrested. 6 Convicted Brit paedophile Jacky Jhaj allegedly took his nine-year-old 'child bride' and her mum on holiday Credit: MET Police 6 Jhaj, 39, attempted to marry the young Ukrainian girl in Disneyland last month Credit: 6 His sick plan was foiled by Vitalijs - a former Russian special forces paratrooper Credit: Peter Allen Jhaj reportedly spent over £111,000 on the sick wedding plans as he hired more than 100 actors to play guests at the staged event. One of those recruited through a social media callout was told he would play the 'father' of the bride. Devastated Vitalijs, 54, said he had no idea what he had signed up for prior to turning up in Paris. The former Russian special forces paratrooper was one of the first to raise the alarm about the sickening marriage plot. Vitalijs says one major warning sign of Jhaj's true intentions came after he spoke to the bride-to-be's mum. She revealed the London-born predator had been in constant contact with the family for over a year. Jhaj had spoiled the mum with money and gifts and even paid for a family holiday, Vitalijs claimed. He told The Telegraph: "This Ukrainian woman [the mother] told me that she had known this Jacky for a year. "He paid her money and helped her family. "They went somewhere together to relax, the three of them. I think he won her over with gifts." Massive fireball explosion near O2 arena caused by convicted paedophile who blew up BBC lorry while filming NAKED Vitalijs, who only uses his first name for security reasons, also revealed he was offered £550 to play "the father of the bride". But he was lied to as he signed up to give away the girl's 41-year-old mother. He soon realised inside the theme park the "bride" was instead an underage girl as he immediately refused to be a part of the bizarre act. Vitalijs then hatched a plan to get the ceremony cancelled as he broke into the park without a pass on the morning of the planned event. Vitalijs approached the wedding stage and handed a note to Disney staff, who saw a "scared and confused" child in a big dress with four-inch heels taped to her feet. Staff managed to stop the wedding immediately and called the French cops. Several suspects were arrested within minutes - including Jhaj and the girl's mum. Jean-Baptiste Bladier, the Meaux prosecutor, confirmed the Ukrainian child had not suffered "any violence, neither physical nor sexual" and had "not been forced into playing the bride". The mum was later released without charge but Jhaj was held after being labelled the "mastermind" behind the operations. It was then revealed that he had rented the resort outside of its opening hours to host the fake wedding. His sick acts landed him charges of fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and identity theft. He was also placed under assisted witness status for corruption of a minor. After his arrest, the convicted paedophile told the examining magistrates in Meaux: "I'm just a simple actor who took part in a film shoot". His dark past was soon uncovered as in 2016 Jhaj was found guilty of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds in Britain. The investigation into the fake wedding continues. Who is Jacky Jhaj? CONVICTED paedophile Jacky Jhaj, 39, has been previously jailed in the UK for child sex offences. He was on the run from British authorities at the time of the sick wedding stunt, French prosecutors say. The disgraced director and actor, from Feltham, was jailed in 2016 for four years after being found guilty on four counts of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds. Before his arrest, he drove around the streets of Hounslow, offering girls alcohol and claiming to be a Hollywood film producer. But the convicted paedophile has pulled a string of bizarre stunts since being released from jail. In September 2024, Jhaj staged an explosion using an old BBC truck and Union Jack-draped vehicles packed with explosives, filming himself naked as the blaze spiralled out of control behind him. The incident was reported to be a film production stunt. But it triggered panic, with hundreds of calls flooding emergency services as locals feared a terrorist attack. Residents were not warned beforehand and only found out afterwards through a post on the Borough of Greenwich's official Facebook page. A year before the explosion, footage surfaced of Jhaj mixing with around 200 children and 100 young women at a film shoot in London's Leicester Square. The shoot, which shows some of the children touching Jhaj, took place on October 17, 2023, the BBC revealed at the time. The BBC reported that the organiser of the event - known as "Project BRT" - hired 90 children aged six to 14 from an agency called Jam 200 The production also booked around 100 young women between the ages of 16 to 24 from Uni-versal Extras. 6 A bracelet given to guests at the fake ceremony showed the name 'Jack' as the pretend husband on behalf of paedophile Jacky Credit: Instagram/bfmtv 6 Jhaj was charged with several offences by French police
Daily Mirror
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Ex-Russian soldier prevented notorious Brit paedo from 'marrying' girl
Jacky Jhaj, 39, was arrested a week ago thanks to Vitalijs, a 54-year-old Russian ex special forces paratrooper, after the Londoner tried to "marry" a Ukrainian schoolgirl A former Russian special forces paratrooper has emerged as the whistleblower who stopped a notorious Brit paedo allegedly 'marrying' a nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris. The 54-year-old Latvian, who only uses his first name of Vitalijs for security reasons, helped get Londoner Jacky Jhaj, 39, arrested a week ago last Saturday. Jhaj – who is on a sex offenders register in the UK following criminal convictions – remains in custody in France after being charged with a series of criminal offences. All are connected with the bizarre £111,000 ceremony at Disneyland, which involved a schoolgirl from Ukraine who was meant to act as his "bride". On Wednesday, Vitalijs said he had been offered the equivalent of £550 to play "the father of the bride". He assumed he was giving away the 41-year-old mother, but when he realised the betrothed was in fact her little girl, he exploded with anger. Vitalijs, who served as a paratrooper in the Red Army before the collapse of the old Soviet Union, only found out about the child's role 'five hours before the ceremony' and immediately quit, he said. Despite Jhaj telling him to stay away, he travelled to Disneyland to alert management about the involvement of the minor. "I knew I had to do something," he said. "I sneaked into Disneyland without a pass." Vitalijs, who does not speak French or English, used his special forces training to get into the theme park – the most popular in Europe – and carried a note with him. It read: "This is not a real wedding. The girl is nine years old!" Vitalijs said he approached the wedding stage, and handed the message to a Disney employee, who ensured the "wedding was stopped immediately." Police arrived within minutes, and a number of suspects including Jhaj were arrested and taken into custody. Vitalijs was driven to a police station, where he was shown a fake British passport with his photo on it. Vitalijs said: "I found out that my passport had been forged. I only remember the first name, Mikhail. I don't remember the surname. I remembered that a woman in Riga [Latvia] had asked me for a passport photo for a pass to Disneyland. Of course, I told the police that it wasn't me and that it wasn't my passport." Vitalijs was released without charge, as were the Ukrainian mother and child. Vitalijs had got to know the pair after meeting them at a casting session for the Disneyland stunt in the Czech Republic in May. She told him she had known Jhaj for a year, and even gone on holiday with him, while also accepting cash from him. Jhaj has since claimed: "I'm just a simple actor who took part in a film shoot". Jhaj made the comment to examining magistrates in Meaux, east of the capital city, after his arrest. His lawyer, Jean-Christophe Ramadier, said Jhaj was solely placed in 'provisional custody' because 'he had no guarantee of legal representation in France, where he has no address.' He has admitted being found guilty of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds in Britain in 2016. Jean-Baptiste Bladier, the Meaux prosecutor, confirmed the Ukrainian child had not suffered 'any violence, neither physical nor sexual,' and had 'not been forced into playing the bride.' Mr Bladier said Jhaj 'played the role of the groom after having been professionally made up to display a face completely different from his own.' An unidentified 24-year-old Lativian woman is also being held in connection with the stunt. The investigation into the fake wedding continues.
