A French prosecutor has demanded film-maker Christophe Ruggia be put under house arrest for two years over the alleged sexual assault of actor Adèle Haenel when she was a child, after she walked out of the landmark trial after his denial of any abuse, reports The Guardian.
Haenel, 35, has accused film-maker Ruggia, 59, of assaulting her in the early 2000s when she was between 12 and 14 and he was in his late 30s, allegations he has called “pure lies”.
The trial comes as France’s film industry is rocked by allegations of sexual abuse.
Haenel, who starred in the 2019 drama 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' before quitting cinema, was the first prominent actor to accuse the French film industry of turning a blind eye to the abuse.
The prosecutor on Tuesday requested two years detention with an electronic bracelet plus a three-year suspended sentence against the director.
Ruggia directed Haenel in the 2002 movie 'The Devils', a tale of an incestuous relationship between a boy and his autistic sister. It was her first film role.