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- By Noel Titheradge
- Investigations correspondent
WATCH: Convicted paedophile Jacky Jhaj greets a crowd played by actors at the film “premiere”
Young children were hired as extras for a public film shoot starring a paedophile, the BBC has learned.
About 200 children and young women played fans alongside Jacky Jhaj, 38, who is on the sex offenders register, in London’s Leicester Square.
In 2016 he was jailed for four years, having been found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds after posing as a film producer.
Casting agencies say actors were kept safe and children had chaperones.
The BBC has been told by two cast members that they were not made aware of the real identity of Jhaj, of west London.
The production was held on Tuesday 17 October outside the Odeon Luxe cinema in Leicester Square – the venue for hundreds of film premieres and what the chain calls “one of the most iconic cinemas in the world”.
One young adult who attended the event said she felt “sickened” after learning of Jacky Jhaj’s criminal convictions
In videos and photographs seen by the BBC, Jhaj can be seen repeatedly parading up and down a red carpet in different outfits and then greeting some of the extras.
The footage shows the cast in close proximity to Mr Jhaj, with some touching his hands and back.
The BBC has learned that the organiser of the event – known only as “Project BRT” – hired 90 children aged six to 14 from one agency, Jam 2000.
The production also booked about 100 young women between the ages of 16-24 from another company, Uni-versal Extras.
The BBC has seen text messages and correspondence sent by Uni-versal Extras when recruiting the older cast – and also following the event.
- Actors were paid £85 to pose as “die-hard” fans who “cry, far-reach and faint”
- The cast was requested to wear a range of costumes which included “Clubbing High School Uniform”, a “Harry Potter type look (came straight from school)” and “PJs”
- “You could very-well [sic] be dressed as if you are to be scouted and requested to join the guests on the red carpet”, read the text message
Following the event, Uni-versal Extras emailed its actors to say it had only been made aware after the event that a cast member may have had a criminal conviction. A second email warned them that speaking to the media would be in breach of their contracts.
On 2 November, the agency sent a third email which sought to reassure the cast. It said it had conducted an “extensive investigation” and reported concerns to the police.
“[The Metropolitan Police] assured us that there is no cause for concern in relation to Artiste safety and there were no restrictions placed on this individual preventing him working with, or being near, any of our Artistes, including those under 18,” it said.
Jacky Jhaj has been charged with breaching his sexual harm prevention order
The BBC approached the Met Police and was told that Jhaj has been charged with two counts of failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders’ register – failure to comply with the registration of a new passport and provide notification of travel seven days prior to departure.
He has also been charged with breaching his sexual harm prevention order by failing to supply a mobile phone for inspection, the Met added. He has not yet been required to provide a plea.
The BBC has also spoken to two young adults who attended the Leicester Square event. Both say they were left “clueless” over the exact nature of the production and given no information about the star’s identity or criminal record.
One said she assumed that the lack of information meant it was possibly “a high-profile” production that required secrecy and feels it’s “dangerous” how little information is shared about such filming.
The second said that on learning of Jhaj’s criminal conviction she had been left feeling “sickened” and “scared” – and was having nightmares about it.
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Uni-versal Extras’ director Liana Berko said she was “horrified” to learn of Jhaj’s involvement – and his criminal history – but the company does not have the authority to ask for a cast list.
She said all actors were aged over 16-and-a-half. They do not legally require chaperones, she added.
The agency had told the production that its terms and conditions had been broken and all footage of the event should be destroyed, she said.
None of the extras were prevented from reporting their concerns, she said, but the company had “sought to limit” the sharing of inaccurate claims made online.
In this photograph, chaperoned children can be seen in close proximity to Jacky Jhaj (shown here with his back to the camera)
Jam 2000, the agency which booked 90 children aged between six and 14 years old, also said they were unaware of Jhaj’s identity.
It said its cast were kept safe at all times, licensed to attend and looked after by 20 chaperones. The company added that the children had no contact with Mr Jhaj, were kept away from the barriers where he greeted some actors – and were able to use an auditorium inside the Odeon as a holding area, which he did not have access to.
The NSPCC told the BBC that children working in the entertainment industry can be “particularly vulnerable”.
A spokesperson said it was “fundamental” that those making arrangements in which children come into contact with adults “take full responsibility for keeping the children safe”.
The Odeon says it entered into a contract with a legitimate UK company for the event – and has now terminated this agreement. It added that no filming took place within the auditorium and it is reviewing its event-booking process.
The staged red carpet event was also held on public land outside the cinema’s entrance. Westminster City Council says it did not receive a “full” filming application and that it was the responsibility of the event organiser, not the local authority, to check the criminal background of anyone attending.
Letters and calls made by the BBC to Jhaj and the production company were not returned.
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