Director Christophe Ruggia was sentenced Monday in Paris to four years in prison, two years of which are suspended and subject to an electronic tag, for sexually assaulting actress Adèle Haenel when she was a minor.
Fanny Collin, one of the French director’s lawyers, announced that Ruggia “will appeal the sentence because we will not accept injustice”.
Aneel, 35, who appeared nervous before the verdict was delivered, did not show any reaction when the verdict was pronounced. Ruggia, 60, who avoided looking at her, also did not show any reaction.
The criminal court ordered the director to pay 15,000 euros in compensation to Enel for moral damage and 20,000 euros for the psychological treatment she received over the years.
On December 10, the prosecution had requested a five-year prison sentence, two years of which are suspended and subject to an electronic tag, for the director, who has consistently denied the charge of sexually assaulting Enel.
Christophe Ruggia was accused of sexually assaulting the star of “Portrait de la jeune fille en feu” in the early 2000s when she was between 12 and 14 years old, and he was in his late 30s.
Adèle Haenel, now 35 and retired from the cinema, was the first prominent actress to accuse the French film industry of turning a blind eye to sexual assault in the sector.
In 2019, Adèle Haenel revealed the assaults, shocking the French film industry, which had been slower than Hollywood to respond to the #MeToo movement against sexual assault, especially in the artistic sector.
Adèle Haenel made her film debut in Ruggia’s 2002 film “Les Diables,” a story about an incestuous relationship between a boy and his autistic sister.
