Canadian-born director Paul Haggis is being held in Italy. He is suspected of sexually assaulting a woman in the south of the country, according to Italian media citing local prosecutors.
Haggis was in Italy to take part in a film festival that kicked off Tuesday in Ostuni, a tourist town in Puglia, in Italy’s southern boot.
According to a court document signed by prosecutors in the nearby town of Brindisi, an investigation is underway into “a young foreign woman who allegedly suffered non-consensual sex for two days”.
Those responsible for the investigation, prosecutors Antonio Negro and Livia Orlando, write in the document that the woman “had to be treated”. She was accompanied on Sunday by a man at Brindisi airport who “left her there at dawn despite her poor physical and psychological state of health”.
Brindisi prosecutors’ offices are closed on Sundays. Haggis’ attorney did not call The Associated Press.
Prosecutors say staff and police noticed an obviously confused woman. After first aid, they took her to Brindisi police headquarters. Officers then escorted her to a local hospital for an examination.
The policemen present at the headquarters said that they were not authorized to give information about this case. They could not say whether Haggis was being held at the police station, in his hotel room or in another place of accommodation.
Haggis is also a producer and screenwriter. He had won the Oscar for best original screenplay in 2006 for the film “Crash”.
Prosecutors also claim that the woman “has formally filed a complaint”. They add that his version will have to be confirmed by investigators. They did not reveal his nationality or his age.
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