Within the London trial, Kevin Spacey Fowler — the case is listed underneath his full identify — has pleaded not responsible to 12 prices that embrace sexual assault, indecent assault and inflicting an individual to have interaction in penetrative sexual exercise with out consent. If convicted, he might face a jail sentence. Opening statements are anticipated Friday.
Right here’s what you must know.
The American actor is going through a dozen prices towards 4 males. Final Might, U.Ok. prosecutors licensed 5 prices stemming from incidents with three males; in November, they added seven prices involving a fourth man. The alleged incidents are mentioned to have taken place between 2001 and 2013.
The trial earlier than a jury is being held at London’s Southwark Crown Court docket and is ready to final 4 weeks. The allegations stem from incidents which might be mentioned to have occurred within the U.Ok. Spacey beforehand served because the inventive director of London’s Previous Vic Theater from 2004 to 2015, throughout which era he starred in lots of the venue’s high-profile productions. Spacey nonetheless has an house in London.
What in regards to the different U.S. instances?
Since he was first accused of sexual misconduct in 2017 by the actor Anthony Rapp, a string of males have gone public with accusations towards Spacey. A few of these have led to authorized motion. Rapp, who claimed that Spacey had made a sexual advance towards him when he was 14 and Spacey was 26, sued Spacey in civil court docket. A New York jury dominated in Spacey’s favor.
In 2018, authorities in Massachusetts charged Spacey of indecent assault and battery. He was accused of groping an 18-year-old at a Nantucket bar in 2016. The case was dropped after the primary witness did not testify.
A separate case introduced by a California therapeutic massage therapist, who accused Spacey of sexual assault and battery, was dropped after the alleged sufferer died.
Is he planning a comeback?
Spacey was certainly one of America’s most celebrated actors earlier than allegations of sexual assault surfaced on the peak of the #MeToo motion. He gained Oscars for “The Traditional Suspects” and “American Magnificence,” and was the star of the Netflix drama, “Home of Playing cards.” After the allegations emerged, his profession stalled. He was fired from “Home of Playing cards,” and minimize from Ridley Scott’s “All of the Cash within the World,” a movie that was accomplished however reshot with Christopher Plummer.
In his first main interview in 5 years, Spacey instructed Germany’s ZEIT journal: “The media have performed their greatest to show me right into a monster, however from the folks, I’ve seen nothing however affection.” He instructed the journal that he’s uncertain he can ever rehabilitate his picture within the media, however he was hopeful that he might garner extra work within the business if he’s cleared of prices in London.
“It’s a time by which lots of people are very afraid that in the event that they assist me, they are going to be canceled,” he instructed the journal. “However I do know that there are folks proper now who’re prepared to rent me the second I’m cleared of those prices in London. The second that occurs, they’re prepared to maneuver ahead.”
