In a peculiar and frightening incident, a man was detained after reportedly attempting to marry a 9-year-old Ukrainian child at Disneyland in Paris.

The French amusement park personnel were astonished and appalled on Saturday (June 21) when they realized what was going on between the adult male and the toddler.

Part of the Disneyland Paris amusement park had been privately booked for the bogus ‘ceremony’ before it opened to the public, which reportedly took place in front of the renowned Sleeping Beauty castle with an estimated 100 guests.

Alexandre Verney, assistant prosecutor for the Seine-et-Marne department, described the event as a staged wedding.’

The individual was confirmed as a British national; however, there have been contradictory claims about his age.

The park stated that police were swiftly notified and acted when it became clear what was going on. They also stated that they are completely cooperating with the police and the inquiry.

On June 24, days after his detention, the guy was charged with various offenses, including fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and identity theft, according to the Meaux prosecutor’s office.

According to the New York Post, the entire episode was part of a $150,000 social media prank involving individuals recruited as wedding guests.

“We assumed we were going to a wedding…” Everyone was stunned; no one expected it,” one of them told French newspaper Le Parisien.

“Disneyland handled things quite effectively. They canceled everything the moment they discovered the bride was a child. “We were shocked to see that.”

Regardless, authorities detained the would-be groom, the child’s mother, and a few others.

According to French prosecutors, the prospective groom is also a notorious pedophile who is fleeing UK police.

Prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier released a statement detailing the suspect’s circumstances.

It clarifies, “He is registered on the British sex offenders register and is currently wanted at the national level by the judicial authorities of his country of origin for failing to comply with the obligations arising from said registration.”

Prosecutors suspect the scheme tricked Disneyland Paris and the approximately 100 extras who attended.

They also stated that the event was ‘falsely presented’ to the theme park, which generated uncertainty and alarm.

The statement said, “The organizer misrepresented himself as a Latvian national and used false documents to obtain the contract for the park’s privatization.”

The little girl had only arrived in France two days before the ceremony, and police have stated that they do not believe she was subjected to any aggression, physical or s*xual.

According to the Telegraph, Disneyland Paris stated that the payment for the event was ‘immediately revoked’ shortly after ‘significant anomalies were detected.’