Kevin Spacey formally pleads not guilty in U.K. sexual assault case
The disgraced actor's criminal trial across the pond has been set for next summer
Continuing to maintain his innocence in a string of sexual assault allegations dating back 17 years, Kevin Spacey has pled not guilty to charges filed against him in the U.K., per The Hollywood Reporter. The disgraced actor’s British criminal trial is set to begin on June 6, 2023, per the order of Justice Mark Wall.
The 62-year-old actor appeared in court this morning for the second time in less than a month to enter his plea in response to multiple different charges—four counts of sexual assault from three different men dating back to 2005, and one count of “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.” Spacey is pleading not guilty to all five charges.
Wall, who oversaw Spacey’s hearing, indicated that the actor’s upcoming trial will play out over the span of three to four weeks. The U.K. Crown Protection Service (CPS) has stated they investigated Spacey for “over a year” before moving on any charges. In line with an arrangement previously reached by Spacey and the courts, he is on unconditional bail, meaning the actor can move freely in and out of the U.K. while he awaits his trial date. The trial will reportedly take place at either London’s Southwark Crown Court or the Central Criminal Court (vernacularly known as the Old Bailey).
Spacey’s alleged perverse pattern of assault and manipulation was first whistleblown in 2017, when the actor Anthony Rapp publicly came forward to accuse Spacey of sexually assaulting him when he was 14 years old. Rapp’s accusation, which came at the height of the #MeToo movement, eventually grew into a 2020 civil suit against Spacey, which is still ongoing. In swift fashion, Spacey was dropped from his leading role on House Of Cards—Spacey’s co-stars on the series later alleged he made the set a “toxic” and “predatory” environment.