Convicted paedophile Jacky Jhaj is arrested after ‘casting session’

A convicted paedophile has been arrested on suspicion of breaching a sexual harm prevention order after he was accused of attending a casting session with children where he videoed and photographed them.

Jacky Jhaj, 38, was pictured with a large group of children gathered around him and a £3.2million Bugatti Chiron outside dance school The Hub Studios in east London, where he is said to have got them to cheer for him as he gave them golden envelopes and even a necklace.

Parents had been notified of the chance for their children to audition for a high-profile feature film early that morning through their acting agencies, with as many as 50 arriving at 11am to learn a dance routine from a noted LA choreographer. The parents were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

At 12.45, the children were then asked to leave the studio for the last stage of the audition, which would take place on the street outside.

There, they were asked to gather around Jhaj, who gave a speech to the camera while children cheered around him. He then proceeded to give out golden envelopes to the group, with one girl getting a necklace.

Just last month Jhaj appeared in court as he was accused of breaching court orders imposed after he was jailed in 2016 for having sexual activity with two 15-year-olds.

It came after he was filmed in October last year with as many as 200 children and young women playing his fans as he hosted a fake movie premiere at Leicester Square, in London.

As many of the parents at the London dancing school recognised him, the police were soon called. When they arrived, Jhaj had left the scene.

The Met Police said: ‘Police were called at 13:05hrs on Saturday, 22 June, to Hague Street E2.

‘A number of people reported that they had attended a casting session with their children and were concerned by a man there who had taken videos and pictures of the children without their consent before leaving in a car.

‘A man was arrested on 23 June on suspicion of breaching a sexual harm prevention order. He remains in police custody.’

The Hub Studios, the choreographer and the cameraman were not aware of the nature of the session.

One father, whose eight-year-old daughter attended the session, said he was ‘horrified’ by the scene.

His daughter – who has previously appeared in short films – did not take part in the group around Jhaj after they became aware of who he was.

He said: ‘They all got taken out of the studio into the road to meet this guy who was in his million pound Bugatti. Immediately we thought this isn’t right. Normally, you have chaperones, road closures. It’s quite strict usually. We kept my daughter away from the car.

‘They took them out of the studio into the street in London, where he was getting them to cheer him and he was reciting some sort of angel and devil thing.

‘He was out of the car and they were all gathered around him. He asked who’s got a cross on their badge, on their sticker, to cheer so they all cheered.

‘He was then giving out golden envelopes to the children that were around him. We know of at least one girl was given a necklace, and when she got home her dad took it off her and clicked straight away as to what had gone on. Obviously, getting gifts and things is major red flag.

‘If you saw it on a program, you’d be like: ‘This is ridiculous. There’s no way that would be allowed to happen.’

‘I feel disgusted, angry, let down, to the point now where she probably won’t do another audition for a long time.

‘I know what that industry is like, and it’s always a thing that’s at the back of your mind. But now it’s not at the back, it’s at the forefront. And going forward, it will be a major block for letting her do anything to the going forward.’

Iulia Racovita, the owner of The Hub Studios said that the casting was organised by an entertainment agency, but noone showed up. There does not seem to be a company of that name registered with Companies House.

She said Jhaj left before the police arrived because parents were getting concerned.

She said: ‘I haven’t seen everything that was happening outside, but I can tell you that 20 minutes before our booking was supposed to end, they took the kids outside on the street to do the acting casting, and there was this man with his car there talking to the kids.

‘And some parents started to get very worried, because I think one parent recognized the man, and there was a massive problem.

‘Obviously, even the choreographer was shocked because he didn’t know about this.

‘All of us tried to reach the company today, even myself. I tried to call them twice. They only booked the studio but we had a massive mass of people in here, like almost 50 kids and parents. But they were not reachable. I tried to call them twice today but no one got back to me.

‘They did send a girl. I don’t know her name, she said she’s kind of like an assistant. She helped no one. It was a catastrophe. It was honestly two hours of catastrophe.

‘It’s the first time that happened to us, that no one from the agency showed up to just organize the people or just be there for them for the signing in – like this has never happened to us. You always have someone that checks people in.

‘I didn’t know who this person is, because I was working within the studio. Obviously I would not allow something like this.’

The manager for LA choreographer Lil K Carter said that he was hired by the entertainment agency to carry out the dance casting.

She said: ‘Unfortunately, we don’t know much either. Carter was in London and was hired for the dance casting. We were informed that at the end there will also be an audition for the acting part, for which someone else will come.

‘He went out with the children and parents, that’s why he was there.

‘They sent us a briefing last night about an acting scenario to generate improvised lines from the children, with a story, and asked us to announce to everyone that after the dance casting, this audition scenario will follow.’

Jhaj, who poses as a film producer, faces trial at Isleworth Crown Court on 4 August 2025, for breaching notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order.

The convicted paedophile, of Feltham, was jailed after supplying the two 15-year-olds with alcohol and taking them to parties in Hounslow, west London, in his silver Range Rover.

He pretended he was 21 and a top Hollywood producer before assaulting them.

Jhaj was filmed on 17 October last year with up to 200 children and young women playing fans of Jhaj who was hosting a fake movie premiere at Leicester Square, in London.

He was spotted outside the Odeon Luxe cinema, where a red carpet was set up with barricades.

Jhaj can be seen repeatedly parading up and down in different outfits and then greeting some of the extras, in videos and photographs seen by the BBC.

But casting agencies have said actors were kept safe and children had chaperones.

Judge Edward Connell fixed a further hearing for 29 July for the trial venue to be resolved.