-
Kevin Spacey‘s 4-week trial is underneath means
-
Prosecutors have concluded their case
-
The actor is giving proof in defence
-
Alleged victim says he’d heard rumours that Spacey favored ‘youthful males’
-
Aspiring actor says he woke as much as discover Spacey ‘performing intercourse act’ on him
-
One man, who claims he was sexually assaulted by Spacey, described the actor as a ‘predator’ who was ‘grooming him’
-
Read latest updates under
Prosecutors have opened their case towards Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey, who’s charged with intercourse offences towards 4 males, on 30 June, and closed in on Wednesday 12 July.
The Hollywood star has beforehand denied 12 prices, together with sexual assault and indecent assault.
On Wednesday, a jury panel of 14 was chosen to listen to the prosecution’s opening speech as Spacey watched on intently from the dock at Southwark Crown Court.
The actor pleaded not responsible in January to 3 counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault and one depend of inflicting an individual to interact in sexual exercise with out consent.
The two-time Academy Award winner additionally beforehand denied 4 additional prices of sexual assault and one depend of inflicting an individual to interact in penetrative sexual exercise with out consent.
Before the jury panel was chosen for the trial, Mr Justice Mark Wall advised potential 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 Tuesday 11 July
Young actors had been conscious of “rumours” about Kevin Spacey’s alleged sexual advances on younger males whereas he labored within the UK, a court docket heard.
The Oscar-winning actor, 63, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of a string of intercourse assaults on 4 males between 2001 and 2013.
On Tuesday, mates of 1 alleged victim mentioned he advised them he and Spacey had just a few drinks earlier than he fell asleep and woke as much as discover the Hollywood star performing a intercourse act on him.
One buddy advised jurors there was “always chatter” about Spacey “chatting younger lads up” and it was “a bit of a thing that we would joke about as young men”.
But when Spacey rang the alleged victim, an aspiring actor on the time, to ask him to hitch him for a drink, his mates weren’t frightened “to a point where we thought it would turn into anything more serious”, jurors heard.
Another buddy mentioned the alleged victim had confided in her quickly after that Spacey was being “inappropriate” and it had been “really awkward” however didn’t go into element about what occurred on the time.
She advised jurors: “There were a lot of rumours going around… I definitely was saying if anything happened you should say. Don’t keep it to yourself.”
Other mates mentioned he had regarded “grey” once they first noticed him after the alleged assault.
One buddy advised jurors: “I remember him coming round about midday. He was not himself. He was very confident, always cracking jokes, very good at holding a conversation.
“He came in and he just looked grey and gave one-word answers.
“We were all very excited because he had come back from this, we were asking questions and making jokes and he was not himself.
“He gave one-word answers saying they had had some drinks and went back to Spacey’s flat, that was about it really.”
At a birthday celebration virtually a decade later, the alleged victim then advised mates intimately about what he says occurred.
One buddy advised jurors: “He seemed agitated and upset like he couldn’t quite compute it. I don’t know where it came from, I imagine someone asked him about it.
“He looked deeply upset. This is the first time he had mentioned it (the alleged attack) to me.
“Back that weekend he said he felt so embarrassed and mortified about what happened. That’s why he didn’t say.”
Prosecutor Christine Agnew KC requested: “Did he say anything to you about the impact it had on him?”
He replied: “He said it had destroyed him. It was quite hyperbolic. He mentioned he was still affected by the incident.
“He said ‘it has destroyed me, it has messed me up’ or something like that.”
Key moments from Monday 10 July
An aspiring actor has advised a jury he believed “vile sexual predator” Kevin Spacey drugged him earlier than the star carried out a intercourse act on him whereas he was asleep.
The alleged victim labelled the 2-time Oscar winner as “atrocious, despicable, disgusting” after jurors had been proven footage of his police interview – the place he broke down as he described the alleged assault.
Southwark Crown Court heard the witness had been warned that Spacey favored younger straight males, however advised the jury he discovered the concept of individuals having sexual encounters with others to merely additional their profession to be “abhorrent”.
Jurors had been advised the person had written a letter to the Hollywood star asking for assist, which later led to the alleged incident – including that he was “dumbstruck, starstruck by the idea of essentially meeting an idol” when he requested him if he needed a beer.
While on the flat, the complainant mentioned Spacey initiated a “remarkably inappropriate” hug, which made him really feel “like I was being circled by a shark” earlier than the actor allegedly put his head on the person’s crotch.
The court docket heard the night time had ended with the person crying at a bus cease when Spacey requested him to depart following his rejection of the star’s alleged sexual advances – describing the expertise as “completely traumatic and life-ruining”.
He advised the officer he didn’t go away when Spacey had put his head in his crotch as a result of “you just don’t want to annoy someone who’s that powerful in the business you’re trying to break in to”.
“Nothing happened that was consensual,” the person advised police.
Under cross-examination from Spacey’s lawyer Patrick Gibbs KC, the barrister mentioned “you never said no”, to which the complainant replied: “You can’t when you are asleep.”
The witness rejected claims from Mr Gibbs that he had questioned his personal sexuality after the incident.
“I find this the most reprehensible line of questioning,” he mentioned.
The witness additionally described Spacey as “a vile sexual predator who sexually assaulted and performed a sex act on me while I was asleep”.
Asked by prosecutor Christine Agnew KC if the defence had been appropriate to counsel he had manufactured the allegations towards Spacey to “make money”, the person mentioned: “Absolutely not.”
Addressing how he felt that the actor had made time to satisfy him, the person mentioned: “It made me feel weirdly special because it was someone saying ‘Hey, I’m going to clear out time for you this evening’.”
He advised police he had eaten leftover pizza and smoked hashish with the star earlier than describing how Spacey had opened his arms for a hug.
The man continued: “Then he started to nuzzle his head … he was just rubbing his head into my crotch – I thought ‘this is incredibly weird’.
“I was very nervous at this point, I was just flicking through TV channels.”
Speaking concerning the allegation of the intercourse act, the person advised the officer he started to really feel “woozy” earlier than saying: “Going to sleep isn’t something I would normally do – it is unusual in my behaviour just to conk out.
“I remember four to five hours later waking up – my belt was still together but my button and my zip were down and he’s just performed (a sex act) on me.”
The man initially advised police he didn’t wish to “wildly insinuate something untoward was going on”, however later advised jurors: “I was taken advantage of, I believe drugged, and sexually assaulted.”
He mentioned Spacey instantly requested him to depart after he rejected the intercourse act, and added: “He said I shouldn’t talk to anyone about what had happened.”
The man advised the officer that others had advised him Spacey favored the “young straight guys”.
He mentioned: “I didn’t know at that point he was a predator.”
Key moments from Wednesday 5 July
The police interview of the Hollywood star’s third alleged victim was performed to the court docket on Wednesday.
A “very arrogant” Spacey grabbed a person “like a cobra” in a West End theatre whereas making hardcore feedback, a court docket has heard.
A jury heard the Hollywood star “smelled of booze” earlier than allegedly grabbing the complainant, who advised police he responded to the actor by saying “I’m not like that”.
The man advised an officer he remembered “freezing and pushing his arm away” when Spacey allegedly assaulted him, describing it as a “bizarre and horrible experience”.
Southwark Crown Court was performed footage of the police interview with the alleged victim on Wednesday, the place he claimed Spacey had taken “no responsibility” for the incident, saying: “He just said ‘I’m gay’.”
Describing the alleged assault the complainant mentioned “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 person, who can’t be named for authorized causes, mentioned: “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 advised the officer he was “taken aback” by the alleged crude feedback 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 mentioned about Spacey’s alleged feedback.
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 advised the officer the alleged feedback 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 ahead to police, the alleged victim mentioned it was as if he had “allowed somebody, in a way, to denigrate me”.
He advised 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 mentioned he put his allegations “in a box” initially as a result of the Oscar-winning actor was seen as a “golden boy”.
He mentioned: “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 advised police the actor had advised him to “be cool” as he tried to kiss him and grabbed his crotch at a celebration.
The man, who can’t be named for authorized causes, mentioned in his police interview, which was performed to jurors, that the alleged encounter occurred after he by accident let the actor’s canine out.
He mentioned: “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 docket additionally heard from the primary alleged victim of Spacey’s, who mentioned he had been left him with sleepless nights and has by no means overcome the disgrace he feels over the alleged incident.
He mentioned: “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-trying younger males had been warned concerning the “slippery” Hollywood star because it was “well known he was up to no good”, a court docket has heard.
Jurors had been proven footage of a police interview through which the person, who can’t be named for authorized causes, mentioned it was just 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 within the movie Seven, saying: “He’s a bit like that, a bit creepy.”
The 63-yr-previous defendant has been described by the prosecution as a “sexual bully” as he stands trial accused of intercourse offences towards 4 males between 2001 and 2013.
In the video performed to the jury on Monday, the person mentioned Spacey advised him he may introduce him to A-record stars.
Detailing an incident the place he fought again towards one of many alleged assaults, the witness mentioned the actor replied: “That’s such a turn on to me. You’re such a man.”
In the police interview, the person advised the officer about an incident through which he drove Spacey to a “lavish” showbiz occasion within the early 2000s.
Describing what he mentioned occurred to him, the person mentioned: “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 advised the officer that younger, good-trying males had been warned concerning the actor’s behaviour, and mentioned folks would inform them “you better be careful”.
“It was well known he was up to no good,” the witness added.
He mentioned 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 additionally dismissed Mr Gibbs’s query over whether or not the incidents made him query his sexuality – describing it as a “ridiculous question”.
The man advised police that the actor grew to become “very friendly” and began to seize him on a number of events, and the alleged victim advised him to cease.
“He would try to grope me and try to grab me and make me feel very uncomfortable,” the witness mentioned.
He added: “He sort of left me and didn’t say anything. He would just laugh it off and change the subject.”
The man mentioned he may now now not watch any of his movies or TV programmes, together with Netflix present House Of Cards.
He mentioned in his police interview: “I can’t stand watching the man. It makes me feel sick.”
The man advised the officer Spacey was “pretending to be nice” however 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 had been “naughty”, the complainant mentioned: “It wasn’t naughty, it was disgusting.”
“And also nice?” requested Mr Gibbs.
“Not nice at all,” the witness replied.
Continuing his cross-examination of the alleged victim, Mr Gibbs started to ask: “Didn’t what happened between you…”
The man interjected: “Nothing happened between us – he assaulted me.”
He advised the jury he “totally 100, one million per cent did not” have any emotions in direction of Spacey.
“Did what happened lead you to question your own sexuality?” Mr Gibbs requested.
“Not at all. Ridiculous question,” the witness responded.
The man mentioned it’s “not true at all” that he reported the allegations to police as a result of he “saw a bandwagon coming” and determined to “hop on board”.
“That is not true at all,” he mentioned.
“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 mentioned he described the actor as a “predator” who was “grooming” him as a result of “that was his demeanour” and “I just felt he was a bit like that”.
The trial continues.
Discussion about this post