Kevin Spacey Charged With Four Counts of Sexual Assault in U.K.
British prosecutors charged actor Kevin Spacey with four counts of sexual assault and one count of “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent,” the Crown Prosecution Service announced Thursday.
“The CPS has authorized criminal charges against Kevin Spacey, 62, for four counts of sexual assault against three men,” Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said in a release.
“He has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The charges follow a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation. The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr Spacey are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.”
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Spacey has long been investigated by British authorities following over 20 allegations of sexual assault against the actor during his tenure at the Old Vic Theater in London; two of the charges stem from a March 2005 incident in London, while two more — including the “penetrative sexual activity without consent” charge — are related to an August 2008 incident in London. The fifth charge is connected to an April 2013 complaint in Gloucestershire. (A rep for Spacey did not immediately reply to a request for comment.)
In addition to the new criminal charges, Spacey — who was trying to stage a comeback at Cannes — is currently facing a lawsuit filed by Anthony Rapp, who was the first person to publicly accuse the actor of sexual misconduct in 2017. Rapp first sued Spacey in Sept. 2020, alleging that Spacey assaulted him in a Manhattan apartment after befriending him when they both worked on Broadway. Rapp claimed a visibly intoxicated Spacey picked him up, placed him on a bed, climbed on top of him, and made sexual advances before Rapp was able to get away. Spacey has denied the allegations.
Spacey has faced some other legal actions as well, although not many have come to fruition. In 2019, he pleaded not guilty to charges of indecent assault and battery stemming from a 2016 incident in which he allegedly stuck his hand down an 18-year-old man’s pants and grabbed his genitals; those charges, however, were dropped after the alleged victim nixed a civil suit. Another lawsuit, filed by a John Doe, was put on hold after the death of the alleged victim in Sept. 2019.
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