Hollywood star Kevin Spacey smiles as he arrives at court for sex assault trial
Kevin Spacey smiled as he walked into court in London today for the second day of his sex assault trial.
The Oscar-winning star is accused of a dozen sex attacks on four younger men, with the prosecution describing him as a predator who delighted in making his victims feel powerless.
On Friday, Southwark Crown Court in London was told he preyed on one aspiring actor, who looked up to him as a mentor, after he had fallen asleep.
Other victims were allegedly groped in public by Spacey who laughed off their protests.
Christine Agnew, prosecuting, said: ‘Mr Spacey Fowler abused the power and influence that his reputation and fame afforded him; taking advantage of his popularity and prominence, his illustriousness and influence. Taking what and who he wanted when he wanted.’
Kevin Spacey arriving at Southwark Court Court for the second day of his sex assault trial
The KC told jurors they might know the defendant on screen in hit films such as the Usual Suspects, but in private he was ‘predatory’.
‘Kevin Spacey Fowler is an actor; many of you will know that. He is an extremely famous actor who has won a number of awards. He has starred in many movies and television series,’ she said.
‘He is also, the prosecution allege, a man who sexually assaults other men.
‘A man who does not respect personal boundaries or space, a man who it would seem delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable – a sexual bully.
‘His preferred method of assault is it appears to grab aggressively other men in the crotch.’
The actor is accused of attacking the men aged in their 20s and 30s when he was artistic director at the Old Vic in London between 2001 and 2013.
One of the alleged victims was a ‘star-struck’ drama school graduate who wrote to Spacey ‘seeking his assistance with mentoring’ after meeting him at the theatre in 2008.
He was invited to the actor’s Waterloo apartment where Spacey went to hug him before putting his head on the victim’s crotch, it was said.
The Oscar-winning star is accused a dozen sex attacks on four younger men
After sharing pizza, beers and smoking cannabis with Spacey, the 23-year-old fell asleep on a sofa and awoke to find the defendant performing oral sex on him, jurors heard.
When he pushed him off, the actor allegedly ordered him to leave and not tell anyone what had happened, forcing the victim to flee to a bus stop in tears.
In 2013, Spacey is accused of carrying out a similar assault on another victim who he went to hug, before kissing his neck and grabbing his crotch, telling the shocked man, ‘Be cool’.
The 23-year-old fled in panic following the alleged assault at an exclusive private estate in the Cotswolds, where he had earlier been smoking cannabis and drinking with the star whom he had met that night in a pub.
A third alleged victim in his 30s claims he was sexually assaulted at least five times in a car, but Spacey merely laughed when he was told to stop.
Jurors were told the driver nearly veered off the road when Spacey grabbed him, describing the force of the attack as ‘taking his breath away.’
A final complainant aged 28 recalled the actor making ‘crude and seedy sexual remarks’ before he ‘grabbed his penis with such force it was painful’ at the Haymarket Theatre in London 2005.
Described as dishevelled and reeking of alcohol, Spacey is said to have again simply laughed when he was pushed away.
The prosecution have described Spacey – seen this morning – as a predator who delighted in making his victims feel powerless
The prosecutor said: ‘None of the men wanted to be touched by Kevin Spacey Fowler in a sexual way but he doesn’t seem to have cared very much for their feelings.
‘He did what he wanted to do for his own personal sexual gratification.’
She said victims were afraid to come forward at the time, adding: ‘Kevin Spacey Fowler was a star, a golden boy as he (one victim) put it.’
On Thursday,Ms Agnew cautioned wide-eyed jurors staring at the famous figure in the dock.
‘It is only right that you might feel a little star-struck or overwhelmed that you are part of the jury to try such a famous person but … you must keep yourself grounded and true to the oath that you have taken,’ she said.
As the case opened, the defendant stared at the floor for much of the opening.
Dressed in a grey suit, white shirt and yellow tie, Spacey arrived smiling at court yesterday morning in time to grab a cup of coffee before the start of his month-long trial.
He denies three counts of indecent assault, seven counts of sexual assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and one allegation of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
The actor is accused of attacking the men aged in their 20s and 30s when he was artistic director at the Old Vic in London between 2001 and 2013
The former House of Cards star rose to fame in films including Glengarry Glen Ross, Se7en, Horrible Bosses, and LA Confidential.
He won his first Academy Award for a supporting turn in the Usual Suspects, and got a best actor Oscar in 1999 for his role in American Beauty.
Spacey was awarded an honorary knighthood shortly after his tenure at the Old Vic ended.
Patrick Gibbs KC, defending, suggested the victims had lied or exaggerated their accounts because the actor was ‘rich and influential’.
He said of the victims: ‘What did they want from his wealth, and his influence … what do people want from you when you are famous? What has been reimagined with a sinister spin? What has been made up or twisted?’
He suggested the actor was vulnerable before he came out as gay, saying the case was about fame, secrecy and shame and sexual confusion.
He warned jurors: ‘You will soon hear, I suggest, some truths, you will soon hear some half-truths, you will also hear I suggest some deliberate exaggeration and you will soon hear many damned lies.’
The trial continues.
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