The Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey was a “sexual bully” who abused the power and influence that his reputation and fame gave him to assault four men, a court has heard.
Spacey is accused of getting a sexual thrill out of his predatory and aggressive behaviour towards the men, who had the “misfortune” of attracting his attention, the court was told. He allegedly performed a sex act on one man while he was asleep and grabbed others with such force that it was painful or took their breath away.
Spacey has previously denied 12 charges, including sexual assault and indecent assault, against four men in their 20s and 30s between 2001 and 2013. Wearing a grey suit and yellow tie, the 63-year-old stood in the dock at Southwark crown court in London as the prosecution opened its case.
Accusations of Sexual Misconduct Against Kevin Spacey
The prosecutor Christine Agnew KC told the jury they might feel “starstruck or overwhelmed” to try Spacey, who she described as “an extremely famous actor who has won several awards”.
She added: “He is also, the prosecution alleges, a man who sexually assaults other men. A man who does not respect personal boundaries or space and who, it would seem, delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable – a sexual bully. His preferred method of assault is, it appears, to aggressively grab other men in the crotch. On one occasion, things went further than that.”
She said the alleged offences occurred when Spacey lived and worked in the UK. Spacey worked at the Old Vic Theatre from 2001 and was artistic director from 2003 to 2015. She said that no man wanted to be touched by Spacey, “but he doesn’t seem to have cared very much for their feelings – he did what he wanted to do – for his sexual gratification”.
Spacey, on unconditional bail, smiled as he arrived at court in a taxi on Friday, the second day of his month-long trial, before entering the dock at 10.30 am.
Examination of the Trial Process and Proceedings
Patrick Gibbs KC, defending Spacey, suggested to the jurors that the complainants were motivated by his client’s fame and fortune, saying: “Mr Spacey is rich and influential, and the flipside of that is what did they want from his wealth and his influence, and what do they still want?”
Agnew alleged it was Spacey who had exploited his position. She said: “The prosecution suggests 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. Taking what and who he wanted when he wanted.”
Agnew told the court that the seven offences against the first complainant – three of indecent assault, three of sexual hit and one count of making a person engage in sexual activity without consent – allegedly occurred in the early 2000s. She suggested that Spacey was banking on the fact that the man would not go to the police, reminding the jurors that the alleged incidents occurred 20 years before the #MeToo movement.
Spacey is accused of assaulting the man who worked for him by groping his genitals and smacking his bottom. On one occasion, Spacey allegedly aggressively grabbed the man’s penis, and it took the complainant’s “breath away”. The man, who was driving, almost came off the road and told Spacey that it was painful and he must never do it again. But Spacey “laughed and commented that his getting angry simply turned him on”, the prosecutor said.
Influence of the Case on the Entertainment Industry and Society at Large
In a police interview, Spacey said he was baffled by the man’s claims and deeply hurt if he was “reimagining their time together”.
Spacey is accused of two counts of sexual assault against a second complainant at a show business event in London in 2005. The court heard that the man said Spacey made a remark about the size of his penis before touching his leg.
Later, Spacey allegedly grabbed the man’s penis with “such force it was painful”. The man pushed Spacey away, telling him, “No, I’m not like that”, but the actor “simply laughed”, the prosecutor said.
Spacey told police he had no recollection of meeting the man, who he claimed was motivated by financial compensation.
Spacey is accused of one count of sexual assault and one count of the pursuit of a person to capture in penetrative sexual activity without consent against an aspiring actor asleep at the House of Cards star’s flat in Waterloo, south London, in 2008.
The court heard the man had been invited to Spacey’s home after writing to him for acting advice, and the pair smoked cannabis and drank beers. Spacey hugged the man before placing his head in the young actor’s crotch.
Agnew said: “[The complainant] recalls feeling vulnerable and thinking that perhaps this was just how people in the acting world acted. This was his last clear memory before falling asleep or passing out. He comments that it was unusual for him to sleep or ‘conk out’.
“He awoke sometime later with his belt intact, but his button and zip of his trousers were down. Kevin Spacey Fowler was next to him on his knees, sucking his penis.”
