London Prosecutor Calls Kevin Spacey ‘A Sexual Bully’ Who Preys On Men

LONDON, England – A prosecution told jurors Friday at Spacey’s sexual assault trial in London that Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey got a rush from preying on other men and escalated his behavior from touchy-feely advances to violent fondling and worse.

In her opening statement, prosecutor Christine Agnew described Spacey as “a man who does not respect personal boundaries or space, a man who appears to delight in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable — a sexual bully.” “His preferred method of assault appears to be aggressively grabbing other men in the crotch.”

Kevin Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to a dozen charges stemming from allegations made against him while working at London’s Old Vic Theatre from 2001 to 2013. Sexual assault, indecent assault, and inducing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent are among the charges.

Winner of two Academy Awards, Kevin Spacey, whose spectacular acting career was wrecked by sex assault claims, will go on trial this week in London, accused of sexual offenses.

The stakes are great for the American actor. A conviction might land him in prison, yet an acquittal could allow him to resume work.

Kevin Spacey, according to defense counsel Patrick Gibbs, disputed all claims of nonconsensual conduct and invited jurors to ask themselves as they listened to the evidence what, if anything, had happened when he was with the guys. He claimed the alleged victims had ulterior intentions and that Spacey had left himself vulnerable to opportunists by coming out as gay in 2020.

“What has been reimagined with a sinister spin?” Gibbs stated. “What has been fabricated or twisted, and why and when, because all of these allegations occurred a long time ago?”

He predicted jurors would hear truths, half-truths, purposeful exaggerations, and “many damned lies.”

Kevin Spacey leaned forward behind a dock window, wearing spectacles and dressed in a light grey suit, white shirt, and gold tie, eagerly listening as his lawyer presented a brief review of the case. After the prosecution has rested its case, Gibbs will make a longer opening statement.

From 2003 to 2015, he was the artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre. The four guys, now in their 30s or 40s, who have accused Spacey of sexual assault did not know each other, but all “had the misfortune to attract” his attention, according to Agnew.

A prosecution told jurors Friday at Spacey’s sexual assault trial in London that Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey got a rush from preying on other men.

One victim claimed that Kevin Spacey repeatedly groped him against his will in the early 2000s, culminating in a day when he was driving and the actor, who had been drinking, grabbed his privates so firmly that it took his breath away and nearly drove him off the road. He warned Spacey not to do it again.

Kevin Spacey “laughed and commented that his getting angry simply turned him on,” according to Agnew.

As Agnew spoke, Spacey narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, periodically scribbling notes in a huge black binder he took into court.

During a police interview last year, Kevin Spacey stated that he was “baffled and deeply hurt” by the charges made by someone he considered a friend. He said that the events had been recreated as lies.

Agnew claimed Spacey appeared to be convinced the men wouldn’t tell anyone — that the word of a celebrity would be more credible than that of a non-celebrity.

“None of the men wanted to be touched by Kevin Spacey… in a sexual way, but he doesn’t seem to have cared very much for their feelings,” the prosecutor added. “He did what he wanted to do for his own personal sexual gratification.”

Another man who claimed Spacey molested him at a charity event in 2005 told only one acquaintance about it before coming to the police in 2017.

“Kevin Spacey… was a star, a golden boy, as he put it,” said Agnew of the actor. “He wasn’t sure he’d be believed, and even if he was, he didn’t think he’d get any support.”

Spacey stated to the police that he had not done anything without consent. He admitted making a “clumsy pass” was “entirely possible and indeed likely,” but denied groping anyone’s crotch. He implied that some of the men were after money.

A prosecution told jurors Friday at Spacey’s sexual assault trial in London that Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey got a rush from preying on other men.

In 2008, a young actor who claimed he sought help from Kevin Spacey ended up at his London flat drinking beer and smoking marijuana. He either fell asleep or passed out on the sofa and when he awoke, Spacey was having oral sex with him, according to Agnew.

The man in his early twenties claimed Spacey urged him not to tell anyone about what had happened or to reveal that he had been in Spacey’s flat. The man stated that he was shocked as Spacey held the door open for him to leave and that he then walked to a bus stop and cried.

He decided to speak with police in 2017 after reading about charges against Spacey in the United States, according to Agnew.

Kevin Spacey’s career was wrecked when sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against him during the #MeToo movement. He was fired from Netflix’s political drama “House of Cards,” in which he portrayed Frank Underwood, a vicious and corrupt lawmaker who becomes president. He was deleted from the finished film “All the Money in the World,” the scenes with Christopher Plummer were reshot.

During the four-week trial in Southwark Crown Court, a jury of nine men and five women, including two alternates, will decide his fate. He is known by his full name, Kevin Spacey Fowler. The actor, who has homes in London and the United States, is on bail.

In the 1990s, Spacey rose to prominence as one of the most recognized performers of his generation, appearing in films such as “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “LA Confidential.”

A prosecution told jurors Friday at Spacey’s sexual assault trial in London that Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey got a rush from preying on other men.

He has received numerous prestigious acting honors for his theatre, film, and television work. He earned an Academy Award for supporting actor in “The Usual Suspects” in 1995 and a Best Actor Oscar in 1999 for his performance in “American Beauty.”

Kevin Spacey just had his first film appearance in several years, starring in 2022 in Italian filmmaker Franco Nero’s “The Man Who Drew God,” and as late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman in the biopic “Once Upon a Time in Croatia.” He also has a role in the unreleased American film “Peter Five Eight.”

He has stated that he will be in high demand if he is acquitted.

“There are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges,” Spacey stated in a recent interview with Germany’s Zeit magazine.

Agnew informed jurors that they would have to assess the credibility of the victims and determine whether they were telling the truth or fabricating charges for financial gain.

“The prosecution suggests that Mr. Spacey… abused the power and influence that his reputation and fame afforded him,” Agnew said. “Taking what he wanted and who he wanted, when he wanted.”

SOURCE – (AP)