According to Variety, director and Oscar-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis was arrested in Italy on allegations of sexual assault on Sunday.
Haggis is suspected of forcing a young “foreign” lady, someone who is not Italian, to engage in sexual intercourse over the course of two days in the city of Ostuni, where he’s supposedly been staying ahead of the Allora Fest, which starts this week. According to a statement, he was supposed to attend numerous master sessions, but festival organizers “immediately proceeded to remove any participation of the director from the event.”
The accused victim was transported to the airport by Haggis after the incident and left there early Friday morning despite her “precarious physical and psychological conditions,” according to the police investigation. The alleged victim, who was described as being in a “confused state,” was escorted to the offices of the Italian squadra mobile police unit by airport workers and border police.
She was finally transported to the hospital, where official accusations were made against Haggis.
“Under Italian Law, I cannot discuss the evidence,” his 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.”