A film premiere in London’s Leicester Square, which starred a convicted paedophile, hired around 200 children and young women as extras, according to the BBC. Jacky Jhaj, 38, who is on the sex offenders register, was filmed with the cast in close proximity at the event, which was held by a company called “Project BRT”. Jhaj was jailed for four years in 2016 following conviction on four counts of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds after posing as a film producer. Casting agencies claimed that actors were kept safe, while children had chaperones. The Odeon Luxe cinema has terminated its agreement over the event.
Some 90 children aged between six and 14 were hired from Jam 2000, while 100 young women between 16 and 24 were recruited from Uni-versal Extras, a company which subsequently emailed its actors advising them of a potential cast member’s criminal conviction. Jhaj has been charged with breaching the requirements of the sexual offenders’ register and a sexual harm prevention order, but has not yet been required to provide a plea. Two cast members have claimed that they were not made aware of Jhaj’s identity.
Children involved in the entertainment industry are “particularly vulnerable,” noted the NSPCC, whilst Westminster City Council, which did not receive a “full” filming application, argued that it was the responsibility of the event organiser and not the local authority to check the backgrounds of those attending. Uni-versal Extras sought to reassure actors who had taken part in the event that it had reported concerns to the police and that there was no cause for concern over their safety
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