Paul Haggis, the Oscar-winning Canadian screenwriter and director, has been arrested in Ostuni, Southern Italy, on suspicion of sexual assault and aggravated personal injury inflicted on an unidentified woman who has filed charges.
According to multiple Italian press reports and a letter from the public prosecutor of the nearby city of Brindisi.
Haggis is accused of forcing a young “foreign” – meaning non-Italian – woman to engage in sexual intercourse over the course of two days in Ostuni.
A new film event founded by Los Angeles-based Italian journalist Silvia Bizio and Spanish art critic Sol Costales Doulton
“Under Italian Law, I cannot discuss the evidence,” Priya Chaudhry, Haggis’ longtime personal attorney, said in a statement.
“Having said that, I am confident that all allegations levelled against Mr. Haggis will be dismissed.”
The Allora Fest said in a statement that they “learned with dismay and shock that Paul Haggis is in custody for alleged violence.”
“Among the themes selected for the festival are those of solidarity, gender equality, and equality of opportunity.
The alleged rape victim was helped at the airport by the airport employees and border police, who, after giving her first aid, accompanied her to the offices of the Italian squadra mobile police unit, according to the report.
Publicist Haleigh Breest, who claimed that Haggis had forcefully raped her after a premiere in 2013.