Canadian director Paul Haggis has been arrested in the Italian city of Ostuni and charged with sexual abuse. The Italian news agency ANSA reported this on Sunday evening based on the local OM. Haggis allegedly forced a young woman into sex for two days, then left her at Brindisi airport early in the morning.
Airport personnel would have given the victim first aid, after which she was taken to hospital. Haggis denies, his lawyer says according to ANSA. Against The Hollywood Reporter she says: “[Haggis] wants to cooperate fully in the investigation so that the truth comes out quickly.”
Haggis, known for the films among other things crash and Million Dollar Baby, was in the south of Italy to give a masterclass at the film and music festival Allora Fest. The festival has banned him from participating, Italian media reported, expressing “full solidarity” with the victim.
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