Kevin Spacey appears in U.K. court as sex assault trial begins

Kevin Spacey made an appearance at London’s central Southwark Crown Court related to multiple sexual assault charges made against him by four men.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor arrived around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 28, and the charges he’s facing were read aloud. After a jury was sworn in, court was adjourned until Friday, June 30.

Spacey faces 12 charges from four accusers, including seven for sexual assault, three counts of indecent assault and counts of sex acts performed without consent. The incidents occurred between 2004 and 2013, when he was acting as the artistic director of London’s famed Old Vic Theatre.

Spacey has maintained his innocence. As reported, he recently granted an interview with the German publication ZEITmagazin, in which he said of the accusations, “The moment scrutiny is applied, these things fall apart. That’s what happened in the [Anthony] Rapp trial, and that’s what will happen in this case.”

In 2022, a New York City jury cleared Spacey in a civil trial from Rapp, who claimed Spacey made sexual advances on him in 1986, when the Rent veteran was 14.

In the article, Spacey said he’s plotting a career comeback after the U.K. trial, which is expected to last four weeks, according to THR. “…I know that there are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London,” Spacey told the magazine. “The second that happens, they’re ready to move forward.”