(London) The jury withdrew on Monday to deliberate in the London trial against American star Kevin Spacey, accused of sexual assault by four men between 2001 and 2013, and banned from Hollywood.
Faced with the accusation which presented him as a “sexual harasser”, using his influence to assault young men, the 63-year-old actor, tried since the end of June, pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him, highlighting consensual relationships and certain facts purely invented by the complainants.
Four men accuse him of sexual assault between 2001 and 2013, notably from 2004 when he was director of the London theater Old Vic.
The most serious accusation against the actor, twice Oscar winner for his roles in American Beauty And Usual Suspectsis that of a man who accuses her of having “drugged” him and of having had sexual activity with him while he was asleep.
During the four-week trial at London’s Southwark Court, the prosecution portrayed the actor, who appears free, as a “sexual harasser” and “a man who does not respect the boundaries or personal space” of others.
PHOTO: KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kevin Spacey
These accusations emerged in 2017 at the start of the #metoo movement, when Kevin Spacey was at the height of his fame, leading interpreter of the hit Netflix series House of Cards. In the process, he was landed from the series and other projects in which he was to participate.
During their interrogations in front of the police broadcast during the trial, the four men claimed not to have dared to speak earlier, for fear of not being believed in front of a well-known and influential personality.
Before the jury, the actor presented himself as a “big flirty” but denied any “violent”, “aggressive” or “painful” behavior, believing that the prosecution case was “weak”.
He claimed to have been “broken” by the accusations and spoke, visibly moved, of his “lost reputation”, receiving the support of singer Elton John who testified from Monaco in favor of the actor.
The jury must decide on nine charges against the actor. Twelve had been retained before the trial, but one was added and four dropped during the trial.