It's with the film “The Devils” by Christophe Ruggia that Adèle Haenel was revealed to the general public when she was a teenager. In November 2019, the world of French cinema was shaken by the revelations of the actress who accused the director and filed a complaint against him. The actress revealed in an investigation published by our colleagues at Mediapart that she had been the victim of harassment and sexual assault by Christophe Ruggia between the ages of 12 and 15. The events allegedly took place between 2001 and 2004, during and after the filming of the film. “The Devils”. Adèle Haenel explained that she had kept silent for years, out of fear and a feeling of guilt.
The director judged on December 9 and 10
Christophe Ruggia was indicted in January 2020 for “sexual assault on a minor aged 15 by a person in authority” and last August, we learned that an investigating judge had ordered that the director be tried on December 9 and 10 before the Paris Criminal Court for acts of aggravated sexual assault committed against the actress, as announced our colleagues from franceinfo. The investigating judge wished to take into account two aggravating circumstances, namely, the minority of the actress at the time of the facts and the position of authority of the director. The latter faces a sentence of ten years in prison and a fine of 150,000 euros.
Mediapart’s revelations
Mediapart consulted the order for referral to the criminal court drawn up by a magistrate after four years of investigation. Our colleagues report that “According to the investigating judge who ordered this dismissal, Adèle Haenel denounced in a 'circumstantial, constant and precise manner several episodes of touching of a sexual nature on her penis and her chest'”. After filming “testing” of the devils, released in 2002, Adèle Haenel went every Saturday, from the age of 12, to the home of Christophe Ruggia, “under the guise of cinematographic learning, in a context, according to her, of strong influence”. Our colleagues report that the judge noted that Christophe Ruggia has “unclear and unsuitable explanations in particular with regard to the vocabulary which can be described as 'sexualized' that he may have used in relation to a child”. The director would not have been able to explain the fact that he organized meetings every week with “a young girl of 12 years old”.
“According to the judge, in connection with the 'absence of consent', the 'constraint is characterized' by several elements: the age of Adèle Haenel and her 'particular vulnerability at the time of the facts'; the 'significant 'age difference between her and Ruggia; 'the total lack of knowledge of sexuality for Adèle Haenel' and 'the authority of Christophe Ruggia over her linked to their differences in professional status'”detailed Médiapart. Also, a psychological expertise from Adèle Haenel demonstrated that the actress does not present “no tendency towards fabrication. Christophe Ruggia continues to deny the facts with which he is accused and even speaks of a “reinterpretation” by the actress who, according to him, created a “parallel reality”. To be continued.
