Christophe Ruggia guilty of abusing child actor Adèle Haenel

Haenel, now 35, was applauded by women’s rights activists as she left the courtroom in Paris, as had been the case during the earlier phases of the trial.

Reporters in court on Monday said she appeared nervous before the verdict but showed no reaction as Ruggia’s sentencing was read out.

Haenel alleged that Ruggia started molesting her during the shoot of his 2002 film Les Diables (The Devils), when she was 12, which he denied.

The film is an incestuous tale of a relationship between a boy and his autistic sister, and features sex scenes involving the children including close-ups of Haenel’s naked body.

Before the trial, investigators had spoken to members of the film’s crew who told them of their unease at Ruggia’s behaviour on set.

A summary of the charges quoted by French media says Ruggia and Haenel continued to see each other every Saturday after the shooting of the film wrapped up, “under the guise of film lessons” during which Ruggia would allegedly touch her sexually and put his hands in her underwear.

During interviews with French media, Haenel also said she was controlled and manipulated by Ruggia when she was a child and that nobody protected her when she was “asked to do things in the name of art”.

In court late last year, Ruggia denied the accusations, arguing that he had merely tried to “protect” Haenel during the early days of her fame.

Investigators had also said they had found notes on Ruggia’s computer in which he wrote about 12-year-old Haenel’s “overflowing sensuality”.

Ruggia said Haenel had been “radicalised” and that he thought he was a lightning rod for France’s #MeToo movement.

His comments eventually led Haenel to shout at him to “shut up” before storming out in the middle of the trial last December.