Kevin Spacey slams sexual assault allegation as ‘absolute b*****ks’ in fiery court clash
14 July 2023, 13:08
Kevin Spacey has dismissed claims that he sexually assaulted a man at a West End theatre as “absolute b******s” in fiery exchanges at his trial.
The double Oscar-winning actor, 63, is accused of groping one of his accusers during a charity gala, in an allegation he forcefully decried as false.
Denying claims that he made a string of sexually explicit comments to the man, Spacey told jurors: “I don’t accept a single word that comes out of his mouth.
“There are deeply personal reasons why I have never and would never speak to a human being in the way (he) has claimed.
“Deeply personal to me, not something I treat lightly”, he said, and raised his voice to add: “I never said what he said I said.
When prosecutor Christine Agnew KC suggested Spacey had “grabbed him by the crotch”, Spacey shot back: “Absolute b*******s.”
After a pause, Ms Agnew said: “Yep, that’s exactly where you did grab him.”
Spacey took a breath and replied: “Really?”
Mr Justice Wall was forced to interject three times in quick succession to remind Spacey to answer prosecution questions, telling him this was his opportunity to deny the claims against him.
“Did he accuse me of grabbing his b*******s?”, asked Spacey, and when the judge said “yes” he told the court: “I did not.”
Read More: 'I lost everything in a matter of days': Kevin Spacey breaks down during sex assault trial
Ms Agnew suggested Spacey “got turned on and decided to go for it”, and the Hollywood star replied: “You are just making it up now.”
The judge told him: “You must answer the question. If the question is improper, I will stop it. Counsel is putting to you the prosecution case as to what you did and why you did it.”
Earlier, Spacey said claims he had turned up the theatre looking dishevelled and smelling of alcohol were “pure fantasy”.
At the start of cross-examination, Spacey said he had “casual indiscriminate sex” with men during his career but insisted to a court: “That doesn’t make me a bad person.”
Giving evidence, Spacey told the court he believes two of the men now “regretted” consensual sexual encounters, and accused one – a young actor – of using his fame to try to boost their own career.“I’ve been very open about the fact at times I was promiscuous and I had casual indiscriminate sexual encounters.”
He is accused of sexually assaulting four different men between 2001 and 2013, including allegations he groped them and performed a sex act on one as he slept.
Spacey, who won Oscars for The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, was the artistic director of the Old Vic in London between 2003 and 2015.
On Thursday, Spacey broke down in tears as he detailed the impact sexual assault allegations have had on his life saying his work dried up, his reputation was ruined, and he was ostracised by the gay community.
Spacey has pleaded not guilty to four counts of indecent assault, seven counts of sexual assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
The trial continues.
