US director Paul Haggis admits “two mistakes” but denies rape in Italy

American director Paul Haggis, who is under house arrest after being accused of raping a woman in a hotel while directing a film festival in Italy, admitted to an Italian newspaper that he made two “mistakes” but circulated several unconfirmed theories and speculations and denied raping anyone.

“My first mistake was that I allowed someone I barely knew to visit me. That was nonsense,” he said The Republicand admitted that the unnamed British woman, who initially said her rape wounds required medical treatment, was a guest at his hotel in Ostuni, Puglia, and that the two had what he calls consensual sex.

“The second mistake happened on the last morning when something happened that I found particularly unpleasant and I decided to put an end to this situation. I accompanied the woman to the airport a few hours before her departure.”

Paul Haggis defends “Bond Girl” against rape allegations

According to police reports, the woman was found confused at the airport in Brindisi. She reported the incident to the police, who arrested the screenwriter of Million Dollar Baby And crash Fame.

Prosecutors claimed the woman, who has dual Russian and British citizenship, was “the victim of multiple sexual assaults without her consent,” one of which was so brutal that she was “forced to seek medical attention” before Haggis dropped her off at the airport.

“I was raped for days,” the woman told the investigating prosecutor Antonio Negro. “We were supposed to work together, but instead he raped me from Sunday evening to Wednesday.”

Haggis’s lawyer had previously suggested to The Daily Beast and other media outlets that the woman wanted to be the next Bond girl and had offered to sleep with Haggis for the role, even though the actor has no connection with the Bond series or any other films currently in production. Haggis, who has co-written two James Bond films, nevertheless agreed and had consensual sex, his lawyer said.

After the woman was examined by police, a judge ruled that she did not have injuries consistent with the type of rape she accused Haggis of, and he was released to house arrest. However, the charges against him were not dropped.

“He raped me for days,” alleged British victim of Paul Haggis told police

In the recent interview, The Republic When the show aired as a verbatim Q&A on Tuesday at the director’s request, Haggis went on the offensive, making several claims based on his accuser’s perceived behavior. He suggested the woman may have been incited to make the allegations. “I see no plausible reason why someone who is seriously interested in a relationship would not use her real name,” he told the paper, referring to an interview she gave to an Italian newspaper in which she asked not to be identified by name. (Italian law also prohibits the publication of the names of rape victims.)

“And one more thing: During her interrogation, she was very well prepared, as if she had rehearsed. Certainly not fragile or submissive,” he added, dismissing the police report that said she was found crying at the airport after he left her there.

Haggis also hinted that his dispute with the Church of Scientology could actually be behind the allegations against him, which he described as false. “I have no evidence, but from what I have heard from Scientology“I know they are capable of anything,” he told the newspaper. “If you speak out against them, they will use any means to destroy your reputation, your career and your family.”

The interviewer then asked the director if he had a “woman problem,” referring to four previous allegations of sexual assault, including against his former publicist Haleigh Breest, who sued him in 2017.

“No one has ever gone to the police or the prosecutor to report me, in any country in the world,” he said, not mentioning that the woman had actually gone to the police in Italy. “No, I certainly don’t have any problems with women.”

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