London — Actor Kevin Spacey took the stand Thursday in his sexual assault trial in London, denying allegations made by 4 accusers and telling the jury that he thought of his actions with one of many males “romantic.” The Hollywood star was within the witness field for the primary time in the course of the trial, at which he is going through a complete of 12 charges together with sexual assault, indecent assault and another critical cost of inflicting an individual to have interaction in sexual exercise with out consent.
Spacey has pleaded not responsible to all the expenses, which stem from allegations made by 4 males over incidents that occurred within the U.Okay. over a two decade interval.
JULIA QUENZLER
Giving proof at London’s Southwark Crown Court docket, the Academy award winner mentioned he had a consensual relationship with one in every of his accusers that was “considerably intimate.” Spacey mentioned he had been flirtatious with the person and {that a} relationship “developed over time.”
“We loved one another’s firm,” the actor informed the court docket, including that he “would have taken the lead.”
Spacey mentioned he had touched the person in “intimate” areas and that whereas there was consensual sexual exercise between them, he denied committing any forceful act.
“It didn’t occur in a violent, aggressive, painful means… it was light and, in my thoughts, romantic,” Spacey mentioned. “It was not what he [the accuser] has described.”
Earlier within the trial, the person, who’d been employed by Spacey as a driver within the early 2000s, described the actor as a “slippery, snaky, troublesome individual” who assaulted him a number of instances, together with as soon as as he drove Spacey to a celebration hosted by Elton John in 2005.
Reacting to the allegations that he groped the driving force whereas on the best way to an occasion hosted by the British singer, Spacey refuted the declare and mentioned he had solely attended the recurring occasion in query as soon as, in 2001, not 2005.
Spacey confirmed work schedules and paperwork that to assist his declare that he was filming outdoors the U.Okay., together with in Australia, in the course of the timeframe of the alleged incident.
Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty
The 63-year-old mentioned he and the accuser in query had not gone additional than sexual touching, as “he did not need to go additional than we had been going, and I revered that.”
The actor mentioned he felt “crushed” when he heard the alleged sufferer’s allegations as he did not count on the person to “stab me within the again.”
Prosecutors completed presenting their proof in opposition to Spacey Wednesday. The U.Okay. jury heard testimony from all 4 of the lads who’ve accused Spacey of the fees on this case.
One accuser referred to as Spacey a “vile sexual predator” early within the trial, alleging that the actor had drugged him and carried out oral intercourse on him whereas he was handed out in Spacey’s condominium.
The jury was performed a recording of a police interview with the accuser through which the alleged sufferer mentioned he had been an aspiring actor and initially made contact with Spacey by writing to him and asking for a mentorship in 2008.
The person was heard within the audio recording saying to police that he was “dumbstruck, starstruck” when Spacey invited him over for a beer.
The accuser mentioned Spacey had made him “really feel weirdly particular,” and that he’d accepted each the invitation for a drink and a subsequent invite to return to the actor’s condominium, “as a result of it is Kevin Spacey.”
The court docket heard that the 2 ate pizza and smoked hashish collectively, and that the accuser then fell asleep and woke as much as discover Spacey performing oral intercourse on him.
The person mentioned he informed Spacey, “no,” earlier than including: “Then he stopped and requested me to depart right away. He mentioned I should not discuss to anybody about what had occurred.”
Spacey denied that allegation on Thursday and mentioned when he first heard concerning the claims from police in 2019, he did not recall ever assembly the person in query.
“My preliminary thought was, ‘That is any individual who’s simply shaking me down,’ and I did not acknowledge the image [of the accuser],” he mentioned.
Spacey mentioned when he heard the complainant’s preliminary testimony to police and his reference to ready at a bus cease after the alleged incident, it jogged his reminiscence. He mentioned he did then recall a person who had “hurriedly” left after having an encounter in his condominium.
“It felt very odd, like perhaps he was making an excuse, and it involved me, and my reminiscence is that I referred to as this individual to see in the event that they had been okay,” Spacey informed the court docket. “That was the reminiscence that I’ve.”
The actor mentioned he believed he did carry out consensual oral intercourse on the person.
After the incident, Spacey mentioned he went to the lavatory and when he got here out, that was “once I felt one thing had modified within the room.”
The trial started on June 28 and was anticipated to take a complete of about 4 weeks.
