Oscar-winning film director Paul Haggis arrested in Italy on Sexual Assault charges
According to local officials, Oscar-winning film director Paul Haggis was detained on Sunday for an inquiry into charges that he sexually abused a lady in southern Italy.
The 69-year-old Canadian-born Oscar winner is in Italy for a film festival- The Allora Fest, that kicks off on Tuesday in Ostuni, a tourist town in Puglia, the region that forms the “heel” of the Italian peninsula. In a statement, The Allora Fest said they have “learned with dismay and shock the news that Paul Haggis is in custody for alleged violence.” The fest’s directors “immediately proceeded to remove any participation of the director from the event” and “At the same time, they express full solidarity with the woman involved,” they added.
Prosecutors in the nearby city of Brindisi issued a written statement alleging that a “young foreign woman” was forced to have “non-consensual” sexual encounters over two days, according to the news agency LaPresse and many other Italian media outlets.
The woman was “forced to seek medical attention” after the sexual contact, according to prosecutors Antonio Negro and Livia Orlando, who are leading the inquiry. After a few days of “non-consensual relations,” the woman was “escorted to Brindisi airport by the male” on Sunday and “abandoned there in the morning despite (her) poor physical and psychological state.”
“Under Italian law, I cannot discuss the evidence,” Haggis’ longtime personal attorney Priya Chaudhry said in a statement. “That said, I am confident that all allegations will be dismissed against Mr. Haggis. He is totally innocent and willing to fully cooperate with the authorities so the truth comes out quickly.”
The woman “formalized her complaint and mentioned circumstances that were subsequently looked into for confirmation by detectives,” according to prosecutors. They didn’t mention her age or nationality.
The operations room at headquarters claimed it wasn’t authorized to release any information on the case, including whether Haggis was being kept at the police station or in a hotel or other housing.
Haggis is a screenwriter, producer, and director. In 2006, he won an Academy Award for “Crash” for best original screenplay.