LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 14: Actor Kevin Spacey leaves the Central Criminal Court on July 14, 2022 in London, England.
Oscar award-winning actor Kevin Spacey pleaded not guilty in a London court on Thursday morning to charges that he sexually assaulted three men in the United Kingdom — in certain instances, more than a decade ago.
In late May, U.K. authorities charged Spacey with four counts of sexual assault against three men between March 2005 and April 2013. Spacey indicated later that month that he would travel voluntarily to London to face his charges, a vow that he fulfilled.
According to the BBC, Spacey responded “not guilty” at the recitation of the three charges, and a three-to-four-week trial had been set for June 6, 2023. The U.K. broadcaster noted that Spacey has an address in central London but lives in the United States with his family and dog.
“He has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent,” Rosemary Ainslie, who heads the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division, said in a statement when she announced the charges against Spacey. “The charges follow a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation.”
CPS indicated then that causing penetrative sexual activity without consent “attracts a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.”
The other counts carry a reported maximum sentences of six months incarceration and a fine.
In late May, Spacey sent Good Morning America a statement pointing to the part of the CPS statement noting his presumption of innocence under the law.
“I very much appreciate the Crown Prosecution Service’s statement in which they carefully reminded the media and the public that I am entitled to a fair trial, and innocent until proven otherwise,” the statement said. “While I am disappointed with their decision to move forward, I will voluntarily appear in the U.K. as soon as can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am confident will prove my innocence.”
According to U.K. authorities, four of the alleged incidents took place in London, and the fifth happened in Gloucester. They identify one of the victims — behind two of the charges against the House of Cards actor — as a man in his 40s who accused Spacey of assaulting him in March 2005. The two other alleged victims are now in their 30s, and they claim Spacey assaulted them in August 2008 in London and April 2013 in Gloucester, respectively, according to CPS.
In the United States, Spacey has been facing a lawsuit by actor Anthony Rapp, best known for originating the role of Mark in Jonathan Larsen’s Broadway musical Rent. Rapp claims that he was 14 years old when Spacey allegedly made an unwanted advance at him at a party. A federal judge in Manhattan advanced that lawsuit in early June. Another case by a massage therapist who sued Spacey anonymously collapsed after the plaintiff died in 2020.
In 2019, a criminal case against Spacey in Massachusetts similarly crumbled because prosecutors said the complaining witness was “unavailable.” Spacey’s attorney in the Massachusetts criminal case had claimed the accuser deleted text messages that would have proven the actor’s innocence.
(Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)