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Kevin Spacey Will “Voluntarily” Appear in U.K. Court Over Sexual Assault Charges
The Oscar winner says he is “confident” his innocence will be proven against four sexual assault charges, as well as one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, authorized by British prosecutors last week.
Kevin Spacey plans to “voluntarily appear” in U.K. court to defend himself against four charges of sexual assault, as well as one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, which were authorized by British prosecutors last week.
“The CPS has authorized criminal charges against Kevin Spacey, 62, for four counts of sexual assault against three men,” said Rosemary Ainslie, head of the special crime division of Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), in a statement on Thursday. “He has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The charges follow a review of the evidence gathered by the [London] Metropolitan Police in its investigation.”
In a statement, CPS had noted that “criminal proceedings against Mr. Spacey are active, and that he has the right to a fair trial.” That being said, the Oscar winner can’t be formally charged unless he enters England or Wales, and a spokesperson declined to comment last week on whether prosecutors would seek extradition of Spacey.
Now, the actor says he plans to face his charges across the pond in person. “I very much appreciate the Crown Prosecution Service’s statement in which they carefully reminded the media and the public that I am entitled to a fair trial, and innocent until proven otherwise,” said Spacey through a spokesperson in a statement to Good Morning America on Tuesday. “While I am disappointed with their decision to move forward, I will voluntarily appear in the U.K. as soon as can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am confident will prove my innocence.”
Spacey’s U.K. charges originate from two alleged incidents that occurred in London in 2005, another two allegedly taking place in 2008, and a fifth alleged occurrence in Gloucestershire in 2013. During this time, Spacey served as artistic director of the Old Vic theater in London’s Lambeth neighborhood, a title he retained from 2004 until 2015. According to Metropolitan Police, the alleged victim from the 2005 incidents is now in his 40s, while the two men involved in the alleged 2008 and 2013 episodes are now in their 30s.
The Oscar winner has faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, including that he sexually assaulted two minors in the U.S. One of the accusers was actor Anthony Rapp, who had named Spacey as his alleged abuser in 2017. (Spacey released a statement at the time apologizing to Rapp, but claiming he didn’t remember the alleged incident.) In an ongoing 2020 lawsuit, Rapp and an anonymous man both claimed that Spacey made sexual advances toward them when they were 14. Spacey’s lawyers moved to dismiss the case in April, claiming a lack of evidence. The actor has been ensnared in additional stateside lawsuits involving his alleged sexual misconduct, including one in which he was accused of fondling an 18-year-old man in a restaurant in 2016 and one accusing him of groping and attempting to kiss a massage therapist before offering him oral sex during a massage. The two lawsuits were ultimately dropped.
In addition to his planned appearance in a British courtroom, Spacey has two films slated for release, despite his cries of Hollywood exile. One is the Italian film L’uomo Che Disegno Dio, or The Man Who Drew God, directed by and costarring Franco Nero. The other is 1242—Gateway to the West, a historical drama from Hungarian director Peter Soos. Filming for the latter project is reportedly set for October 2022.