Current:Home > MarketsKevin Spacey's U.K. trial on sexual assault charges opens in London -MacroWatch
Kevin Spacey's U.K. trial on sexual assault charges opens in London
View
Date:2025-04-17 22:05:08
London – Kevin Spacey's trial began Wednesday in London, with the Hollywood actor facing charges of sexual assault, indecent assault and a more serious offense of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Spacey has pleaded not guilty to all of the 12 charges against him.
The 63-year-old arrived at London's Southwark Crown Court and smiled and waved at media gathered outside the building as he waked in.
As the proceedings began, the judge laid out ground rules for members of the jury, acknowledging the case had "attracted a lot of media coverage," and urging jurists to "rely on what you see and hear in this courtroom."
The trial is expected to last four weeks, and little more was likely to come out of Wednesday's opening hearing. The prosecution was to address the court on Friday.
Spacey has repeatedly denied the allegations made by four men who are now in their 30s and 40s over acts they accuse Spacey of committing during a 12-year period between 2001 and 2013. Some of the charges date back to a period when the actor was the artistic director at London's Old Vic Theatre, a position he held for more than a decade before his departure in 2015.
The alleged victims cannot be identified under English law.
An internal 2017 investigation by the theater resulted in 20 anonymous claims of alleged inappropriate behavior by Spacey during his time as its artistic director.
The Oscar-winner's "stardom and status at The Old Vic may have prevented people, and in particular junior staff or young actors, from feeling that they could speak up or raise a hand for help," a statement from the Old Vic said at the time.
Spacey's glittering Hollywood career largely came to an end in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp publicly accused him of sexual misconduct in a separate case, alleging that Spacey had targeted him when he was just 14 years old.
In October last year, a New York court dismissed a $40 million civil suit brought against Spacey by Rapp for alleged sexual misconduct dating back to the late 1980s. A judge had ruled separately that Rapp brought the case too late for criminal charges.
Charges of indecent assault and battery were also dropped against the actor in a separate case in Massachusetts in 2019, after a young man who had accused him declined to testify in the case.
In an interview earlier this month with German magazine Zeit, Spacey insisted that it was his work that "will be remembered," and he expressed a desire to revive his career should he be cleared of the charges against him in the U.K.
"I know that there are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London. The second that happens, they're ready to move forward," Spacey said.
- In:
- Hollywood
- Rape
- Sexual Assault
- Academy Awards
- Sexual Misconduct
- Trial
- United Kingdom
- London
- Kevin Spacey
veryGood! (817)
Related
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Keurig to pay $1.5M settlement over statements on the recyclability of its K-Cup drink pods
- Powerball winning numbers for September 9: Jackpot rises to $121 million
- NFL Week 1 overreactions: Can Jets figure it out? Browns, Bengals in trouble
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Why Gabrielle Union Thinks She and Dwyane Wade Should Be Posting Farts After 10 Years of Marriage
- Deshaun Watson, Daniel Jones among four quarterbacks under most pressure after Week 1
- Cash aid for new moms: What to know about the expanding program in Michigan
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Amber Alert issued in North Carolina for 3-year-old Khloe Marlow: Have you seen her?
Ranking
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Ryan Seacrest debuts as new host of ‘Wheel of Fortune’
- Unionized Workers Making EV Batteries Downplay Politics of the Product
- Heidi Klum Reveals Some of the Items Within Her “Sex Closet”
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Rebecca Cheptegei Case: Ex Accused of Setting Olympian on Fire Dies From Injuries Sustained in Attack
- Watch Louisiana tower turn into dust as city demolishes building ravaged by hurricanes
- Head of state children’s cabinet named New Mexico’s new public education secretary
Recommendation
The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
White Stripes sue Donald Trump over the use of ‘Seven Nation Army’ riff in social media post
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, I Love a Parade
Johnny Gaudreau's Widow Meredith Shares She's Pregnant With Baby No. 3 After His Death
Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s son Pax has facial scars in rare red carpet appearance
'American Ninja Warrior' Vance Walker on grueling back-to-back victories: 'So difficult'
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, I Love a Parade