American Beauty and House of Cards star Kevin Spacey has pled not guilty to five sexual assault charges at a court hearing at London’s famed Old Bailey court this morning.
The actor, appearing under his real name of Kevin Spacey Fowler, was asked for his name and address before making the plea at a hearing overseen by Justice Mark Wall.
In June, Spacey was formally charged with four counts of sexual assault and one of “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent,” by the Metropolitan Police. The alleged historical offenses cover a period of 2005-2013 in London and the county of Gloucester and were against three men all now aged in their 30s and 40s.
He has maintained his innocence since the allegations first came to light.
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The case had been due to be heard at Southwark Crown Court, the UK’s fourth largest judicial venue after a Westminster Magistrates Court judge ruling. However, likely due to the enormous domestic and international media interest, Ministry of Justice officials quietly decided to shift it to the number one courtroom in the country’s premier court, famously known as the Old Bailey, which is located in the city of London, a stone’s throw away from St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Spacey had arrived early this morning wearing a baby blue suit, cream shirt and blue spotted tie and was immediately ushered into a meeting room with his legal representatives. Flanked by security, he before making his way into Court 1 of the Central Criminal Court. He was again with a media circus, with reporters, photographers and other members of the media.
Thirty reporters waited for seats in the public gallery while scores of other media viewed via video in an overspill courtroom. Security was strict, with an officer guarding the room where Spacey met with his team. Those who approached were told that they’d be removed from the court.
On June 16, Spacey was granted unconditional bail after complying with police and the courts. He had had been interviewed under caution by police before the charges were brought, but had said he would “voluntarily” appear in UK court to prove his innocence.
Once one of Hollywood’s biggest and most bankable stars, Spacey’s career halted after actor Anthony Rapp went public with allegations about his sexual conduct in 2017. A series of other complaints followed in both the U.S. and UK. In Britain, Spacey led Old Vic Theatre from 2003-2015.
He is set to go to trial in New York in October to face a sexual assault lawsuit that Rapp brought, after a judge dismissed Spacey’s appeals for it to be dropped.
In the UK, Channel 4 is working on a documentary about the upcoming legal cases and Spacey’s life beyond the courts.
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