Kevin Spacey is set to appear in court in the U.K. on Wednesday to face criminal charges of historic sexual assault. Ahead of the scheduled four-week trial, here’s everything you need to know about the case.
What has Spacey been accused of?
Spacey, best known for projects including “House of Cards” and “American Beauty,” has been accused of a total of 12 offenses by four different men, who are now said to be in their 30s and 40s.
The offenses include seven counts of sexual assault, three counts of indecent assault and two counts of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Some of the incidents are alleged to have taken place in the “early 2000s” and the others between 2005 and 2013.
Spacey has pleaded not guilty to all 12 charges.
Where will the trial take place?
Spacey’s trial has been scheduled over four weeks at Southwark Crown Court in central London. The outcome will be decided by a jury made up of 12 randomly-selected members of the public.
The trial is being held in the U.K. because it’s where the offenses are alleged to have taken place: some in London and the others in Gloucestershire.
Spacey lived in the U.K. for more than a decade during his tenure as artistic director of the Old Vic theater in London, which he oversaw between 2004 and 2015.
He is expected to be represented in court by his barrister, Patrick Gibbs KC, who has attended a number of court hearings on behalf of the actor so far.
Will Spacey testify?
It is unknown whether Spacey will take the stand in his own defense. According to the U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service (which is similar to the DA’s office in the U.S.), “The defendant doesn’t have to give evidence if they don’t want to.”
Although he has previously appeared at some hearings by videolink, the actor is expected to attend court in person for the duration of his trial.
What does Spacey’s future hold?
After allegations against Spacey were made during the zenith of the #MeToo movement, the actor was dropped from a number of projects, including “House of Cards” and Ridley Scott’s “All the Money in the World,” which saw his scenes re-shot with Christopher Plummer.
At first he kept a relatively low profile aside from the occasional video recorded in the manner of his “House of Cards” character Frank Underwood, but over the last few years he has attempted something of a career comeback, with films including British indie thriller “Control” and Italian movie “The Man Who Drew God.”
During Spacey’s first U.K. court appearance last June (which was an administrative hearing), the actor’s barrister persuaded the deputy chief magistrate presiding over the case to grant Spacey unconditional bail, explaining: “In his line of business working requires [Spacey] to audition, working requires him to go to meetings and have face-to-face discussions with writers, directors, casting agents.”
