Kevin Spacey is a 'sexual bully' who took 'what and who he wanted,' court hears
Two-time Oscar winning actor Kevin Spacey has been labelled a "sexual bully" who took "what and who he wanted when he wanted", a court has heard.
The American Beauty star is accused of "aggressively" grabbing other men by the crotch in a series of alleged sexual assaults over a 12-year period from 2001 to 2013.
Another man claims he awoke to find the 63-year-old actor on his knees performing a sex act on him without his consent.
Spacey, who denies a dozen charges relating to four different men, appeared wearing a grey suit and yellow tie at Southwark Crown Court in London on Friday.
In her opening statement, Christine Agnew KC described the star as "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," she added.
"His preferred method of assault… is to grab aggressively other men in the crotch."
She told the jury: "We the prosecution suggest that 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.
Kevin Spacey has denied the charges (AFP via Getty Images)
"Taking what and who he wanted when he wanted."
She told the jury that while they may feel "star struck", they must remain grounded as they hear evidence against the Usual Suspects star, who was the artistic director at The Old Vic theatre in London between 2004 and 2015.
One man claims there were multiple occasions where Mr Spacey would "grab and grope" in an "aggressive way" over four years in the early 2000s when the complainant was aged 30 to 34, the court heard.
He alleges that on more than one occasion the actor grabbed the complainant’s hand and put it on his crotch.
Agnew told the jury: "It may well be that the defendant got a sexual thrill out of this type of sexual aggression – it is certainly a consistent feature of three out of the four complainants."
She suggested that Spacey may have been banking on the man being "too embarrassed, too ashamed" to report the star, given it was more than 20 years before the ‘Me Too’ movement shined a light on the behaviour of the rich and famous.
Kevin Spacey denies seven sex offences as he appears in court via video link
In a police interview in 2022, Spacey said he was "baffled and deeply hurt" by the man's allegations and suggested he could be seeking financial gain or was "simply embarrassed to admit the truth".
Kevin Spacey at court in London
Another man, aged 28 at the time, claims Mr Spacey was dishevelled and smelled of alcohol when they met at an event at a showbiz theatre event in 2005.
He allegedly said to the man: "Have we f****d, do you have a big c**k, is it true what they say about black men, do you like it outside", before later going on to grab his crotch with "such force it was painful".
In a separate alleged incident, a 23-year-old aspiring actor claims he awoke to find Mr Spacey on his knees performing a sex act on him without his consent after a night of drinking and smoking cannabis in 2008.
The complainant, who admitted he was left "star struck" by the two-time Academy Award winner, contacted the police with his allegations in 2017.
But he told a friend about the incident, adding: "It's f****d me up it's really f****d me up," the prosecution alleges.
A fourth man claims the actor also grabbed his crotch after a night of drinking and smoking cannabis after they met at a pub in the Cotswolds in March 2013.
The 23-year-old claims that the actor gave him an "awkward man hug" and kissed his neck twice.
He adds that Mr Spacey said "be cool, be cool" before he grabbed his crotch and squeezed.
Kevin Spacey arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London (Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)
The court heard a number of allegations (Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)
The complainant said he pushed the defendant against a wall and told him: "Sorry man I don't bat for that team."
Spacey denies all counts. During police interview, the star said he had no recollection of meeting an actor and performing a sex act without consent, but added that he had smoked cannabis with a great many people over the years.
He admitted he could have made a "clumsy pass" at someone on the night of drinking in the Cotswolds, but denied ever grabbing someone’s crotch without consent.
The House of Cards star’s barrister Patrick Gibbs KC told the court that Mr Spacey’s notoriety had left him "vulnerable to opportunists".
"Mr Spacey is rich and influential. What could they want from his wealth and influence?" he asked the jury.
He also said that they would need to consider issues of rumour and fame, as well as “secrecy and shame and sexual confusion”.
He told the court: “What has been re-imagined with a sinister spin? What has been made up or twisted and why?”
He added: “You will hear, I suggest, some truths. You will hear some half-truths. You will also hear, I suggest, some deliberate exaggerations. And you will hear many damned lies.
“It will be for you to pick your way through all that at the end of this case to solid ground.”
The actor, who is being tried under under his full name Kevin Spacey Fowler, pleaded not guilty in January to three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
He also previously denied four further charges of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
The trial continues.
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