Man attacked at Disneyland Paris

A father-of-four was brutally attacked by a ticket tout while on a dream holiday with his family.
Daran Jarman from Gosport, and his 29-year-old wife Gemma, took their four children Devon, Jemma, Hollie and Paris on a trip to Disneyland Paris on January 4.

But on their last day at the resort, the 39-year-old was punched in the face by a thug who demanded his used tickets.

The attack left him needing surgery for a fractured jaw and broken teeth.

Mr Jarman was carrying gifts to his car near the resort’s main shopping area when the man approached him.

‘He wanted my used park tickets but I said “no” and walked off,’ said Mr Jarman, of Dayshes Close, Gosport.

‘On the way back he was waiting for me.’

When the 39-year-old refused a second time, he was punched repeatedly in the face. Afraid his children might see his wounds, Daran dashed into a nearby train station for help.

‘My wife was in a lot of distress,’ he said.

‘She came in and saw me covered in blood and my children started crying. It trashed the whole holiday.

‘My daughter went to school and told them not about the good things but about her dad getting hurt.’

Mr Jarman underwent emergency surgery to have his two front teeth removed and a piece of his jaw bone.

He now wants to warn other travellers to watch out for ticket touts.

‘These people come over every day and try to take your tickets,’ he said.

His wife Gemma said the ordeal was horrendous. She returned to their log cabin at the resort after Mr Jarman left in an ambulance.

When he had not returned after several agonising hours, Mrs Jarman decided to ask park staff to find her husband. ‘We had to walk for half an hour through the forest where the log cabin was,’ she said.

‘You can only get there by car but I can’t drive. We had a taxi take us there.

‘I cried. The children were braver than me.’

Devon, Jemma, Hollie and Paris at Disneyland Paris

Resort staff were able to find the hospital where Mr Jarman was being treated.

He was discharged later that evening.

Disney spokeswoman Jo Preston said: ‘We were sorry to hear about the problems Mr Jarman had with an illegal ticket tout.

‘Touts are not permitted to operate at Disneyland Paris and it is our policy to remove them from the resort. This incident took place on public land, which Disneyland Paris security is not permitted to police.

‘We continue to work closely with the authorities to ensure an incident like this does not happen again.’

Source: The News (Portsmouth)