Paul Haggis arrested in Italy over sexual assault allegations

msn.com:

Paul Haggis has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of sexual assault and aggravated personal injury. The Oscar-winning 'Crash' moviemaker, 69, was detained by authorities in the southern town of Ostuni after an unidentified woman pressed charges against him - however, the director's attorney has insisted Haggis is "totally innocent".

In a statement published by Variety, Haggis' personal attorney Priya Chaudhry said: "Under Italian Law, I cannot discuss the evidence.

That said, I am confident that all allegations will be dismissed against Mr. Haggis. He is totally innocent and willing to fully cooperate with the authorities so the truth comes out quickly. " The moviemaker was in town for the Allora Fest film event which is due to run in Ostuni from June 21 to June 26 and organisers have now removed him from the schedule.

According to Variety, they said in a statement: "(We) immediately proceeded to remove any participation of the director from the event . . .