Paul Haggis accuser tells Italian police she was raped twice

British citizen who accused Canadian-born screenwriter and director Paul Haggis, of raping her in Italy, told Italian police that Haggis raped her twice over several days after she joined him in Ostuni, a southern tourist town, where Haggis was presenting a film festival.

“The woman was subjected twice to non-consensual sex; she wasn’t raped for days on end,” as some media have reported, said Insp. Rita Sverdigliozzi is the head of the Brindisi state Police unit investigating the alleged crime.

“She admired him, and came to Ostuni wishing she could work alongside him.”

Haggis was arrested Sunday on charges of sexual assault and grievous bodily harm. He is currently being held in Ostuni (Italy) under house arrest.

Sverdigliozzi confirmed that the woman, aged 29, and Haggis (69) met in the spring.

Italian media have reported details of a memo Haggis made for his lawyer. In it, he said that the two had met at the Monaco International Film Festival. After the woman took photos with Haggis, he allegedly reached out to her via social media.

Police were told by the woman that she left a note of love “for a reason” in the room they shared for several days.

According to a statement from prosecutors, Haggis dropped the woman off at the airport in Brindisi, Italy, the closest city to Ostuni, in the heel-shaped region of Puglia, early in the morning of June 15. There, airline workers found her wandering around in what the prosecutors describe as a “precarious psychological and physical condition” and police were alerted.

After reporting the alleged assault to police, the woman went to Puglia’s shelter for victims of sexual abuse and left on Wednesday. said.

Authorities also have said it could take weeks before a trial begins.

Judge to hear from woman about alleged assault

The woman will be appearing next week before a Brindisi judge to recount the alleged attack.

Investigators are still collecting evidence ahead of a preliminary hearing, when a judge will decide whether to proceed with a trial and whether to release Haggis from house arrest — and, if so, under what conditions.

Vilma Gili, the judge who oversees preliminary investigations, decided Wednesday to place the director under house arrest. He can only see his family and his lawyers.

Haggis is currently staying in a luxury farmhouse outside Ostuni, where he moved after the arrival of his adult children, who were scheduled to lead master classes at the Allora Film Festival that started this week.

The judge based her decision on the version of events recounted by the victimThe judge will determine. saidDemonstrated an “absolute lack of control” [Haggis’s]It was reported by the Italian media that instincts were to be resisted from prevarication, dominance and inclinations.”

U.S. Accusations

In her decision, the judge also cited a civil case involving a New York rape allegation against Haggis. Four women in the U.S. have accused Haggis of sexual assault — claims he has denied.

Oscar-winning screenwriter and director CrashCo-wrote the script with, Casino RoyaleAnd Quantum of SolaceOn Wednesday, Gilli was presented by, in Brindisi (Italy), where he, assisted by a translator, told Gilli his version of events.

Michele Laforgia, Haggis’s Italian lawyer, saidHis client is innocent and the sexual relations between Haggis and the woman were consensual.

“We have also made clear that there are not injuries or signs of violence which has been alleged in the prosecution,” Laforgia stated to reporters after the hearing.