Kevin Spacey told police he was “baffled” and “deeply hurt” by accusations of sex assault but admitted he could have made a “clumsy pass” at one of his accusers, a court heard today.
The House of Cards star, who denies multiple sex crime charges, also told police he did not grope his accusers and added that he would “never” perform a non-consensual sex act on, in regards to allegations from one man.
Prosecutor Shauna Ritchie today read Spacey’s statements made to the police out to the jury at a short session at Southwark Crown Court today, as the prosecution concluded their case against him. Spacey may still give evidence in coming days.
In further statements to police, Spacey said he did not recognize two of the complainants but admitted he may have made a “clumsy pass” at his final alleged victim. However, he denied deliberately attacking him.
“I have had a number of consensual one-night stands with many members of the theatre world in my property,” said Spacey, according to the prosecution.
The actor is being tried under his full name Kevin Spacey Fowler. He faces 12 charges, which include sexual assault and indecent assault. Four men, who are not being named for legal reasons, have given evidence against him over the past few weeks at Southwark Crown Court in London.
The offenses are all alleged to have happened in Britain between 2001 and 2013 when Spacey worked at the Old Vic Theatre in London.
As the case began two weeks ago, prosecutors called Spacey a “sexual bully.” The jury then heard Spacey variously described as a “vile sexual predator,” “slippery” and “atrocious, despicable, disgusting” in various alleged victim testimonies.
One accuser, who met Spacey at an industry party in the early 2000s, claimed the actor behaved “like he thought he could groom me,” while another said Spacey had grabbed his crotch “like a cobra” and delivered a “barrage of vile comments” after they met at a West London Theater in the mid-2000s.
A third man, who rejected Spacey’s alleged advances at an expensive property in the Cotswolds in the early 2010s, said the House of Cards and American Beauty star had a “panicked” look on his face after attempting a sexual grab.
Another complainant, an aspiring actor, alleged Spacey had likely “drugged” him before he woke to find the actor performing a sex act on him. The incident, said to have happened at Spacey’s London flat near Waterloo, is alleged to have occurred in the late 2000s.
The complainants have alleged Spacey’s behaviour was “well known” in UK theater circles and one said he was told the actor specifically liked “young straight men.”
Under cross-examination from Spacey’s lawyer, Patrick Gibbs KC, the complainants have denied seeking financial gain or to further their careers, or that they’ve given false accounts to the jury.
In January, Spacey pleaded not guilty 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. The two-time Academy Award winner also previously denied four further charges of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
He was granted unconditional bail before the trial began.
The trial continues.
