Elton John was heard on Monday, by videoconference, as a defense witness at the trial of American actor Kevin Spacey, tried in London since the end of June for sexual assault.
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Kevin Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of sexually assaulting four men between 2001 and 2013, including from 2004 when he was manager of London’s Old Vic theatre.
A man accuses Kevin Spacey of sexually assaulting him while driving the actor to a charity gala at Elton John’s “in the early 2000s”.
“He grabbed me so hard (the private parts) that I almost went off the road,” the complainant explained during his interrogation.
“It was a sweet gesture (…) and it was in my romantic spirit,” Mr. Spacey retorted Thursday, denying any “violent”, “aggressive” or “painful” behavior.
Testifying from Monaco, Elton John confirmed to remember the presence of Kevin Spacey in the early 2000s at this annual ball in Windsor, west London.
“He arrived with a white tie”, in evening dress, said the singer.
“He came by private jet and came directly to the ball,” added Elton John, adding that the actor had slept at his house that evening. “I don’t remember him coming after that,” the singer continued.
Elton John’s husband, David Furnish, also testified to the presence of Kevin Spacey at this social event: “He was an Oscar-winning actor, there was a lot of enthusiasm for the idea that he was at the ball” .
Dressed in a gray suit and a polka dot tie, Kevin Spacey listened to the testimony of the two men from the Crown Court in London.
The actor was moved when his lawyer Patrick Gibbs read ten statements from witnesses, friends and family members.
Actor Robert Sean Leonard, who starred in the film The circle of poets missing and the series Dr House, described Kevin Spacey as a “positive, encouraging and respectful” person.
Chris Lemmon, the son of actor Jack Lemmon (Some like it hot), said Kevin Spacey was “like another son” to his father.
Last week, he dismissed the charges outright, citing “consensual” relationships and denouncing the prosecution’s “weak” case.
But the actor, twice Oscar winner for his roles in American Beauty And Usual Suspectshad been described at the start of the trial as a “sexual harasser” by the prosecution.
These accusations emerged in 2017 at the start of the #MeToo movement, when Kevin Spacey was at the height of his fame, lead performer 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.
The actor’s trial, which entered its fourth week, continues on Tuesday.