A judge in southern Italy on Monday ordered Canadian-born film director Paul Haggis to be released from custody at his hotel while prosecutors decide whether to pursue allegations of an affair. sex with a woman without her consent for two days, his lawyer said.
Michele Laforgia told the Associated Press that Haggis, who is also a screenwriter and Oscar winner, remains in Italy. The ruling was made by Judge Vilma Gilli in Puglia, which is the area that forms the “heel” of the Italian peninsula.
Haggis, 69, was detained by police on June 19 in Puglia after a woman told authorities he had sex with her without consent for more than two days while he was traveling to Italy for a consultation. Attend an art festival in the tourist town of Ostuni.
According to his lawyer, he has declared his innocence.
Laforgia said in text messages that the judge ruled that no signs of violence or abuse were found on the woman. Italian media said the woman was 28 years old and British, while prosecutors only described her as young and foreign.
The courthouse was closed on Monday night and Gilli could not be immediately reached for comment.
‘No persistent acts of violence’: judge
The Italian daily Corriere della Sera, citing the judge’s ruling, said Gilli concluded there was “an absence of persistent violent behavior” by Haggis. The judge also noted in the ruling that the woman’s decision to stay with Haggis in his accommodation was “spontaneous.”
Gilli, who on June 22, after a closed-door hearing, ordered Haggis to be detained while the investigation continued.
Prosecutors did not immediately say whether they would drop the investigation or pursue it after the judge’s decision.
When asked if the case could be closed, Laforgia replied “let’s see what the prosecutor’s office will do at this point.”
Haggis, who resides in the United States, has had other legal problems. In recent years, four women in the United States have accused him of sexual misconduct.
