Canadian director and Oscar winner Paul Haggis has been arrested in Italy. He is said to have held a young woman against her will for two days and forced her to perform sexual acts. Years ago, several women had accused him of sexual abuse.
According to media reports, Paul Haggis has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of serious sexual assault. As the news agencies Ansa and AGI reported on Sunday, citing the public prosecutor’s office in Brindisi (Apulia region), the 69-year-old director and Oscar winner is said to have injured a “young foreign woman” in such a way that she needed medical help.
The reports cite a written statement from prosecutors saying the woman was coerced into “non-consensual” sexual acts for two days. Haggis then dropped her off at Brindisi airport. Airport staff and police noticed the woman’s “apparently disturbed condition” and “after initial treatment, took her to Brindisi police headquarters, where officers escorted her to a local hospital for examination.”
Haggis’ attorney did not immediately respond to an AP request for comment. It is not yet known exactly where Haggis is being held.
Haggis directed the film Crash and wrote the screenplays for Million Dollar Baby and Casino Royale. He also became known for his open break with Scientology. Haggis had already been accused of sexual abuse by several women in the course of the scandal surrounding Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. He denies the allegations.