The Academy Award-winning film director Roman Polanski was in custody in Switzerland last night awaiting extradition on a US warrant issued 31 years ago after his guilty plea for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

A Swiss Justice Ministry spokesman confirmed Polanski, 76, had been arrested at the Zurich Film Festival, where he was to receive an award for lifetime achievement yesterday.

Polanski, famed for films such as Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown, fled the US in 1978 before being sentenced after his guilty plea to a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with 13-year-old Samantha Geimer. He faced up to life in prison.

A Los Angeles judge in May refused the director’s bid to dismiss the case, after Polanski failed to appear in court.

It will definitely be interesting to see how this one plays out.