French court upholds five-year sentence for director who assaulted child actor Adele Haenel
A French appeal court in Paris on Friday, April 17, 2026, sentenced director Christophe Ruggia to five years imprisonment, with three years suspended, and ordered him to wear an electronic bracelet for two years. Ruggia, 61, had been previously convicted in early 2025 for sexually assaulting Adele Haenel when she was between 12 and 14 years old, during the early 2000s.
Haenel, now 37, was the first prominent French actor to publicly accuse the film industry of ignoring sexual abuse, sparking part of France’s #MeToo movement. The court described the acts as “extremely serious” against a pre‑teen girl and confirmed a proven impact on her mental health. For Nigerian audiences, the case highlights global patterns of power abuse in entertainment and raises concerns about protecting child actors in Nollywood and similar industries.
The film “The Devils” (2002), which Ruggia directed and featured Haenel’s first role, contained sex scenes between minors and close‑ups of her naked body. Investigators reported crew unease with Ruggia’s behavior and noted Haenel visited him nearly every Saturday after filming, during which he allegedly caressed her thighs and touched her genitals and breasts. While the verdict is French, it serves as a reminder for Nigerian stakeholders to enforce strict child‑protection policies on sets, support survivors, and monitor power dynamics. What steps should Nollywood guilds and producers take to prevent such abuse and ensure safe working conditions for under‑18 actors?