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French filmmaker Christophe Ruggia found guilty in sexual assault case

Christophe Ruggia sentenced to two years of house arrest

Court found 60-year-old French film director Christophe Ruggia guilty of sexually assaulting actress Adèle Haenel. He was sentenced to two years of house arrest and two more years of suspended sentence.

The director also has to pay the victim 15 thousand euros in compensation for non-pecuniary damage and another 20 thousand for the years of psychological therapy she had to undergo. This is one of the first cases of the #MeToo movement in French cinema, The Guardian reports.

Haenel, 35, accused Ruggia of molesting a minor, as she was only 12 years old at the time of the traumatic experience. The victim said it happened while they were working together on the movie The Devils. According to the actress, she even thought of suicide because of the harassment.

Other members of the film crew who worked on the movie described the director's behavior towards the girl as inappropriate. The accused himself said in court that he realized how painful the filming was for Haenel. He promised to appeal the verdict.

It is worth noting that in 2020, the actress ran out of the Césars award ceremony in Paris shouting "Shame!" after Roman Polanski, who is wanted in the United States for raping a 13-year-old girl, was recognized as the best director for his film An Officer and a Spy.

In May 2023, Haenel announced her retirement, accusing the film industry of condoning sexual assault.

The scandal surrounding Ruggia is often being compared to the case of 72-year-old Harvey Weinstein, who is serving a sentence for rape. The director was imprisoned for 39 years, and was recently diagnosed with cancer.

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