On Thursday morning in a court in London, American actor Kevin Spacey entered a not guilty plea to allegations of sexual misconduct.Spacey, 62, entered the plea during a hearing at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales. The trial was scheduled to start on June 6, 2023, and the judge estimated that it would take three to four weeks.
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The two-time Oscar-winning actor is charged with four charges of sexual assault and one count of inciting another person to engage in penetrative sexual behavior without consent. He was the artistic director of London's Old Vic theater from 2004 until 2015. The accusations are a result of three men alleging that Spacey sexually assaulted them in England about 20 years ago. The claimed incidents allegedly occurred between March 2005 and August 2008 in London, as well as in Gloucestershire in April 2013. Now in their 30s and 40s, the victims.
The actor "strenuously denies" the accusations, according to a prior statement from Spacey's attorney.Only a few weeks after getting the go-ahead from the Crown Prosecution Service to charge Spacey, London's Metropolitan Police Service did so last month. After a preliminary hearing on June 16 at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, he was given unconditional bail and permitted to travel back to the United States.Spacey declared he would "voluntarily" show up in court in the British capital at the end of May.
Spacey stated, "I much appreciate the Crown Prosecution Service's statement in which they carefully reminded the public and the media that I am entitled to a fair trial and innocent unless proven guilty. I will willingly appear in the UK as soon as it can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am convinced will prove my innocence, even if I am unhappy in their decision to proceed forward.Spacey earned an Academy Award for "The Usual Suspects," a 1995 movie, for best supporting actor. He received a second Oscar for "American Beauty," which was released in 1999, for best lead actor.
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In the Netflix series "House of Cards," Spacey received plaudits for playing the lead character of a vengeful politician. The actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of sexually assaulting him at a party in New York City in 1986 when Rapp was 14 years old, and Spacey was sacked in 2017. He was then written out of the show. Spacey has refuted the accusations and faced backlash for acknowledging his sexual orientation in his apology to Rapp.
At the time, Spacey responded in a statement, "I have a lot of respect and regard for Anthony Rapp as an actor. "The news of this incident absolutely appals me. Since the incident was almost 30 years ago, I can't say that I remember it. But if I did act in the manner he describes, I owe him a real apology because my actions then would have been completely unacceptable for an intoxicated person."
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