Italian police arrest Oscar-winning Canadian director

LONDON (Reuters) - Their client, Oscar-winning Canadian writer and film director Paul Haggis, has been placed under house arrest in southern Italy on charges of sexually assaulting a girl, a lawyer and lawyer said on Monday, charges that Haggis denies.

"Mr Paul Haggis was arrested on Sunday (yesterday) with an emergency measure issued by prosecutors in Brindisi and is now under house arrest in Ostuni. He will be questioned by a judge who will have to decide whether or not to continue his detention," his Italian lawyer, Michele LaForgia, told Reuters.

Brindisi prosecutors said in a statement on Sunday that Haggis is accused of forcing a non-Italian girl to have sex with him without her consent over two days in Ostuni, Italy.

"Under Italian law, I cannot address the evidence. Despite what I have said, I am confident that all allegations against Mr. Haggis will be dismissed," his personal lawyer Priya Choudhury said in a statement.

The lawyers said Haggis denied the charges and would cooperate with authorities.

An investigation source told Reuters that the unidentified girl will be questioned in the next 10 days, seeking evidence for a possible future trial.

Haggis, 69, wrote the story for "Million Dollar Baby" and co-wrote and directed "Crash", both of which won Academy Awards.

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