ROME (AP) – Direk Paul Haggis was arrested Sunday for investigating the sexual assault of a woman in southern Italy, Italian media reported, citing local prosecutors.
69-year-old Canadian Oscar winner Haggis is in Italy for a film festival that starts on Tuesday at the tourist resort of Puglia, in the region that forms the “heel” of the Italian peninsula.
The LaPresse news agency and several other Italian media have released a written statement from prosecutors in the nearby city of Brindisi stating that they are investigating allegations that a “young foreign woman” was forced to have sex with ” unconscious “for two days.
Prosecutors Antonio Negro and Livia Orlando, who are conducting the investigation, said the woman was “forced to seek medical help” after having sex. After two days of “unconscious intercourse, the woman was with the man” on Sunday at the Brindisi airport and “left there that night despite (her) uncertain physical and psychological condition”.
The Brindisi Prosecutor closed on Sunday. Haggis’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prosecutors said airport and police staff noticed his “seemingly confusing condition” and “after initial treatment, they took him to Brindisi police headquarters, where officers accompanied him to a local hospital for an exam “.
Police in the headquarters operating room said they were not authorized to provide information in the case, including whether Haggis was at a police station, hotel or other residence.
Haggis is a director, producer and screenwriter. It won an Oscar in 2006 for Best Original Screenplay for “Crash”.
Prosecutors also said that “the woman formalized her complaint and cited the circumstances that are subsequently investigated for confirmation by investigators.” They did not mention his nationality or age.
Source: Huffpost
