Kevin Spacey arrives at Southwark Crown Court, London. (PA)
-
Kevin Spacey‘s four-week trial is under way
-
Aspiring actor says he woke up to find Spacey ‘performing sex act’ on him
-
Man says actor grabbed his intimate area with “such force it was painful”
-
One man, who claims he was sexually assaulted by Spacey, described the actor as a ‘predator’ who was ‘grooming him’
-
Read latest updates below
Prosecutors opened their case against Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey, who is charged with sex offences against four men, on 30 June.
The Hollywood star has previously denied 12 charges, including sexual assault and indecent assault.
On Wednesday, a jury panel of 14 was selected to hear the prosecution’s opening speech as Spacey watched on intently from the dock at Southwark Crown Court.
The actor pleaded not guilty in January to three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
The two-time Academy Award winner also previously denied four further charges of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Before the jury panel was selected for the trial, Mr Justice Mark Wall told prospective jurors: “I am sure the defendant will be gratified to know that many of you will know his name or have seen his films.”
Spacey is on unconditional bail.
Key moments from Wednesday 5 July
Kevin Spacey arrives at Southwark Crown Court on the fourth day of his trial. (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The police interview of the Hollywood star’s third alleged victim was played to the court on Wednesday.
A “very arrogant” Spacey grabbed a man “like a cobra” in a West End theatre while making hardcore comments, a court has heard.
A jury heard the Hollywood star “smelled of booze” before allegedly grabbing the complainant, who told police he responded to the actor by saying “I’m not like that”.
The man told an officer he remembered “freezing and pushing his arm away” when Spacey allegedly assaulted him, describing it as a “bizarre and horrible experience”.
Story continues
Southwark Crown Court was played footage of the police interview with the alleged victim on Wednesday, where he claimed Spacey had taken “no responsibility” for the incident, saying: “He just said ‘I’m gay’.”
Describing the alleged assault the complainant said “he was like a cobra and grabbed with such force it was really painful” and “like a cobra coming out and getting hold”.
Detailing his first impressions of the actor, the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “My opinion when he arrived was he smelled of booze. He looked dishevelled. He did not look like he had been to sleep.”
The man told the officer he was “taken aback” by the alleged crude comments made by the star, claiming: “It was very aggressive. I have never had anyone talk to me in that way.”
“It was all getting hardcore,” he said about Spacey’s alleged comments.
He continued: “This conversation went on. I was laughing but on the inside feeling very uncomfortable. I was feeling very shocked. It was not what I was expecting. I thought it would stop.”
The man told the officer the alleged comments made him “feel so low” and “it was offensive, what he was saying”.
He went on: “My first impression is that he seemed very arrogant. I remember he looked me up and down and looked at my crotch region. He did not respond to me particularly politely.”
Asked why he had come forward to police, the alleged victim said it was as if he had “allowed somebody, in a way, to denigrate me”.
He told police: “I hope he does the right thing – if he apologises then maybe I won’t want him to go to court. He took no responsibility for it, he just said ‘I’m gay’. He’s still not hearing what he did was wrong – that’s sort of spurred me on a bit.”
The complainant said he put his allegations “in a box” initially because the Oscar-winning actor was seen as a “golden boy”.
He said: “He was a huge success. I put it in a box and carried on with my life but he had a detrimental effect on my life and my business.
“It is like telling tales out of school, in a way.”
The trial was scheduled to recommence on Monday, 10 July.
Key moments from Tuesday 4 July
The second of the alleged victims of Spacey told police the actor had told him to “be cool” as he tried to kiss him and grabbed his crotch at a party.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said in his police interview, which was played to jurors, that the alleged encounter happened after he accidentally let the actor’s dog out.
He said: “At which point, he came towards me in a huggy motion and said ‘Don’t worry about it, it is cool, it is cool.’
“We did an awkward man-hug… he hugged me, I did a sort of pat on the back type of thing.
“At that point he kissed my neck twice and grabbed my crotch. He said the words ‘Ve cool, be cool’ twice.
“I put my arm between us and pushed him against a wall. I said ‘I am sorry, I don’t bat for that team’”, at which Spacey had a “panicked” look on his face and left.
The man was set to testify on Wednesday.
The court also heard from the first alleged victim of Spacey’s, who said he had been left him with sleepless nights and has never overcome the shame he feels over the alleged incident.
He said: “The shame I feel about it has never been overcome. I still feel ashamed about it now. I can’t say it has ever been overcome.”
Key moments from Monday 3 July
An alleged victim of Spacey’s claimed good-looking young men were warned about the “slippery” Hollywood star as it was “well known he was up to no good”, a court has heard.
Jurors were shown footage of a police interview in which the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said it was like the Hollywood star “thought he could groom me”.
The witness described Spacey as a “slippery, snaky, difficult person” and referenced his serial killer character in the film Seven, saying: “He’s a bit like that, a bit creepy.”
The 63-year-old defendant has been described by the prosecution as a “sexual bully” as he stands trial accused of sex offences against four men between 2001 and 2013.
In the video played to the jury on Monday, the man said Spacey told him he could introduce him to A-list stars.
Detailing an incident where he fought back against one of the alleged assaults, the witness said the actor replied: “That’s such a turn on to me. You’re such a man.”
In the police interview, the man told the officer about an incident in which he drove Spacey to a “lavish” showbiz party in the early 2000s.
Describing what he said happened to him, the man said: “He grabbed me so hard I almost came off the road.
“He grabbed me really hard and it really hurt.
“I pushed him against the door and said, ‘Don’t do that again or I will knock you out’.”
The man told the officer that young, good-looking men were warned about the actor’s behaviour, and said people would tell them “you better be careful”.
“It was well known he was up to no good,” the witness added.
He said he was “disgusted” Spacey had touched him, and denied being excited by it when questioned by the actor’s lawyer Patrick Gibbs KC.
The witness also dismissed Mr Gibbs’s question over whether the incidents made him question his sexuality – describing it as a “ridiculous question”.
The man told police that the actor became “very friendly” and started to grab him on several occasions, and the alleged victim told him to stop.
“He would try to grope me and try to grab me and make me feel very uncomfortable,” the witness said.
He added: “He sort of left me and didn’t say anything. He would just laugh it off and change the subject.”
The man said he could now no longer watch any of his films or TV programmes, including Netflix show House Of Cards.
He said in his police interview: “I can’t stand watching the man. It makes me feel sick.”
The man told the officer Spacey was “pretending to be nice” but was a “predator” who was “aggressive”.
He added: “He was obviously very messed up with his sexuality.”
Asked by Mr Gibbs if he thought the actor’s advances were “naughty”, the complainant said: “It wasn’t naughty, it was disgusting.”
“And also nice?” asked Mr Gibbs.
“Not nice at all,” the witness replied.
Continuing his cross-examination of the alleged victim, Mr Gibbs began to ask: “Didn’t what happened between you…”
The man interjected: “Nothing happened between us – he assaulted me.”
He told the jury he “totally 100, one million per cent did not” have any feelings towards Spacey.
“Did what happened lead you to question your own sexuality?” Mr Gibbs asked.
“Not at all. Ridiculous question,” the witness responded.
The man said it is “not true at all” that he reported the allegations to police because he “saw a bandwagon coming” and decided to “hop on board”.
“That is not true at all,” he said.
“It was the fact that it was in the news and it was all coming back to me.
“It made me have those feelings that I had then, thinking some others have been brave enough to come forward. It caused me to come forward and tell the truth as well.
“It is just to tell the truth.”
He said he described the actor as a “predator” who was “grooming” him because “that was his demeanour” and “I just felt he was a bit like that”.
The trial continues.
You can view the original article HERE.
