Five years ago, Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual assault in the United States. Now he has to answer to similar allegations in London. The former Hollywood star appears in person at the hearing and protests his innocence.
Hollywood star Kevin Spacey has pleaded not guilty to sexual abuse charges in London. The 62-year-old actor denied all allegations of male sexual abuse in the UK at today’s hearing at London’s Old Bailey Criminal Court.
Spacey is charged with four assaults against three men in the UK between 2005 and 2013. He is also said to have forced one of the men into “penetrative sexual activity” without his consent – a charge which differs from rape under British law.
Three of the crimes are said to have happened in London and another in Gloucestershire, western England. Information on the alleged victims may not be given under British law. London is home to the Old Vic Theatre, where Spacey was Artistic Director from 2004 to 2015.
After the allegations were announced by the prosecutor’s office in May, Spacey announced that he wanted to appear in court in person to prove his “innocence”. At the court date a month ago, he actually appeared in court, but did not provide any information on the allegations. His lawyer Patrick Gibbs assured at the time that his client “strongly rejects any criminal activity.” He must “answer the allegations in order to continue his life.”
Allegations of sexual assault had already been made against the Oscar winner in the United States in 2017. The allegations had serious consequences for Spacey: He lost his leading role in the Netflix hit series “House of Cards”, fell out of favor in the industry and experienced a dramatic career crash.