THE casting director behind the Disneyland child wedding has revealed she was duped into rounding up kids to watch Brit paedophile Jacky Jhaj “marry” a nine-year-old girl.
Amande Cross says she was initially presented with a “high-end luxury wedding-themed rehearsal” which soon transcended into the “extremely disturbing” event.
Jacky Jhaj is a convicted paedophile who was jailed for four years in 2016
FacebookThe ad for the sickening Disneyland ‘child wedding’ has been revealed[/caption]
revistacrescer.globo.comJhaj was allegedly the ‘groom’ in a mock wedding ceremony with a child at Disneyland Paris[/caption]
JDN ViadeoAnande Cross said she was duped’ by the Brit paedo[/caption]
Jhaj, 39, previously jailed in the UK for child sex offences, was arrested for putting on the sick stunt below the Sleeping Beauty castle as hundreds of alarmed “guests” watched.
The disgraced self-proclaimed director and actor from Feltham was put away for four years in 2016 after being found guilty on four counts of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds.
His latest arrest came on Saturday, with French police charging him with multiple offences on Tuesday in connection with the staged stunt.
The sex offender was allegedly the “groom” in the twisted fake wedding ceremony – involving a nine-year-old girl as “bride”.
Staff at Disney immediately called cops after seeing a “scared and confused” child in a big dress with four-inch heels taped to her feet, reports French newspaper Le Parisien.
Jhaj was described as the “mastermind” behind the disgusting stunt.
I’m most all relieved this little girl has been saved from hell
Anande Cross
The Facebook ad for the abominable production was revealed, offering kids as young as five 200 euros to be an “extra” in the fake wedding.
Now the casting director behind the stunt has spoken out on her devastation after being duped by sick Jhaj.
Anande Cross of Le Casting Parisien told The Sun how the “wedding-themed rehearsal” turned out to be something “extremely disturbing and unqualifiable,” orchestrated by “a very sick man”.
She said as soon as she “found out” what was happening, she “reached out to the extras to provide moral support” and “began documenting everything for possible legal follow-up”.
Anande explained: “I cannot express strongly enough the revulsion and grief I feel for what occurred.
“I am particularly heartbroken for the families and children who were present that day, some of whom were kicked out of the park like criminals, left stranded in the early hours of the morning.
“It was inhumane, and I stand in full solidarity with the French artistic community I’m part of.”
Both Disneyland Paris and the “guests” claim they were deliberately misled – none knew a child would be involved in the mock wedding.
Anande added that she is “relieved that this known predator” is “behind bars” but remains concerned of the “systematic failures that allowed this to happen in the first place”.
Jhaj has reportedly been charged with fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and identity theft after the horror incident.
Anande said: “I stand today in anger and fierce solidarity with all the victims and I’m most all relieved this little girl has been saved from hell.
“I want to thank the extraordinary artists, actors, and models who showed strength, calm, and unity during this nightmare.
Instagram/bfmtvA bracelet given to guests at the fake ceremony showed the name ‘Jack’ as the pretend husband on behalf of paedophile Jacky[/caption]
revistacrescer.globo.comGuests at the twisted mock ‘wedding rehearsal’ in front of Disneyland Paris’ Sleeping Beauty castle[/caption]
InstagramThe man posing as the ‘groom’ claimed that he was the director of a production company and that they were shooting a video[/caption]
“I now know that you can never be too thorough when vetting clients, and I vow to uphold even stricter investigative standards moving forward.”
The casting director concluded how justice mustn’t be “selective” but be “for all”.
100 kids aged five to 15 were required in the production, according to the ad, with those involved having to maintain “absolute confidentiality”.
Their role was to “stand up, sit, applaud and play their part in the prestigious gathering”.
A private bus service to transport “guests” from the Paris city centre to the “exceptional live shoot” was offered.
And those who attended what was dubbed in the ad a “high-end wedding rehearsal” were required to wear a “very elegant evening outfit” like a “suit, evening dress or tuxedo”.
Jhaj and the “bride” girl’s 41-year-old mother, believed to be Ukrainian, were arrested, along with two others involved in the ceremony.
The sex offender even conned Disney officials by “assuming the identity of a Latvian national and using false documents to secure the contract” of the park, according to a Meaux prosecuting spokesman.
Prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday that Jhaj is known in the UK “for sexual offences against minors” and is on the run from British authorities, French prosecutors say.
Before his arrest, he drove around the streets of Hounslow, offering girls alcohol and claiming to be a Hollywood film producer.
After his conviction, Detective Constable Nav Johal, the investigating officer from Hounslow CID, said: “Thanks to the courage and bravery of the young vulnerable victims who gave evidence, a dangerous sexual predator has been brought to justice.
“I am hopeful that the verdict and sentencing will give them some peace and closure, and they will be able to, in time, move forward from this difficult period.”
But the convicted paedophile has pulled a string of distasteful 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.
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.
A Met spokesperson said: “A 39-year-old man is wanted by the Met Police for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a breach of a Sex Offenders’ Register notification requirement.
“We are aware the man has been arrested in France for other matters and officers are in contact with the French authorities.”
Disneyland Paris rented out the iconic castle grounds to the organisers under the belief it was a genuine wedding