(AFP) Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey will face his final trial in a British court on Thursday after being accused of sexually assaulting three men last month and being released on unconditional bail.
The 62-year-old star, who last appeared in British court on four sexual assault charges on 16 June, is expected for air program hearings at 08:45 GMT at London’s Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey.
His case, which was transferred from a lower magistrate’s court last month to the royal court, which deals with the most serious crimes, has been listed for “acquittal and preparation for trial”.
No official statement was made in the final 28 minutes of the trial, but Spacey’s lawyer, Patrick Gibbs, told the court that his client “absolutely denied any guilt in this case.”
“He must respond to these accusations if he wants to continue,” Gibbs added.
The Crown Prosecution Service, responsible for bringing criminal cases to England and Wales, said in May that it had upheld the charges against Spacey.
The two-time Oscar winner for Suspects and American Beauty was formally charged by police in the British capital the following month and voluntarily appeared in court a few days later.
The Deputy Chief of Staff, who first heard of the case, learned that he was living in the United States, where he had family and a nine-year-old dog.
The judge formally rescinded the arrest warrant issued two weeks ago after learning that Spacey had traveled to London to appear in person.
Current reporting restrictions prevent the media from detailing the allegations so as not to harm jurors in any case.
The first two sexual harassment allegations surfaced in London in March 2005 and involved the same man, now in his 40s.
The third allegedly took place in London in August 2008 against a man who is now in his 30s.
Spacey was also accused of “forcing a man into non-consensual sex” against the same man.
A fourth sexual assault charge was brought against a third man, now in his 30s, in Gloucestershire, western England, in April 2013.
None of the alleged victims will be identified under British law.
Following his statement from prosecutors in May, Spacey said he was “disappointed” by the decision.
“I will go to England voluntarily as soon as possible and defend myself against these allegations, which I am confident will prove my innocence,” he said at the time.
Spacey was Artistic Director of the Old Vic Theater in London from 2004 to 2015.
The allegations against him followed the #MeToo movement, which featured numerous allegations of sexual harassment and harassment in the film industry.
This led to an investigation by the London Metropolitan Police and a review of The Old Vic during his tenure there.
In 2017, allegations against Spacey led to her ending her participation in filming the final season of the political drama House of Cards.
He was also absent from the Netflix biopic Gor Vidal and starring industrialist John Paul Getty in All the Money in the World.
Source: Breitbart
