Kevin Spacey to go under trial after facing 7 new counts of alleged sex offence
LONDON, UK: Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey will have to face at least seven new sexual assault charges, according to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The news came on Wednesday, November 16, when the agency revealed that the reported all seven offenses were against the same "adult male." The official statement read, "The CPS has authorized additional criminal charges against Kevin Spacey, 63, for a number of sexual assaults against one man between 2001 and 2004."
It further said, "The CPS has also authorized one charge of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. The authority to charge follows a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation." The charges mentioned by CPS are coming in the backdrop of its announcement in May, which claimed Spacey would be facing four counts of sexual assault in the UK. However, the actor had pleaded "not guilty" during a July 14 hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court, also called by many ‘The Old Bailey’.
READ MORE
The 63-year-old actor was seen wearing a light blue suit and polka dot tie when he stated his full name, and date of birth, before pleading "not guilty" to four charges of sexually assaulting three men back in July. The ‘House of Cards’ star also claimed "not guilty" to another charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, as per BBC.
The court has scheduled a three to four-week trial, beginning on June 6, 2023. In a separate sexual assault case, Spacey was acquitted on October 20. The jury ruled in his favor amid a lack of evidence in the case of liable for battery, where Anthony Rapp’s alleged that the ‘American Beauty’ star made a sexual advance on him at age 14 after a party, reports People.
As per an NBC News report, a New York jury comprising six men and six women deliberated over an hour before giving their verdict. They found there was insufficient evidence to hold Spacey guilty of inappropriately touching Rapp. Spacey’s attorneys as per CNN celebrated by simply putting their hands on the actor’s back.
During the hearing, Rapp had told the court that he had shared the sexual episode with his friend. According to AP, Rapp said, while he was watching television in a bedroom when Spacey, “came in drunk, picked me up as a groom does a bride, and he climbed on top of me trying to get with me sexually and I managed to squirm away."