Kevin Spacey has arrived in the UK for a second trial on sexual assault charges

Kevin Spacey has arrived in the UK for a second trial on sexual assault charges

Kevin Spacey made his second UK court appearance on sexual assault charges in less than a month before a full trial, which is not expected to take place until 2023.

The 62-year-old, two-time Oscar winner, appeared at London’s Central Criminal Court, better known as the Old Bailey, on Thursday morning for a 9:45 am hearing presided over by Judge Mark Wall.

As at Spacey’s first Westminster Magistrates Court hearing on June 16, the blue-suited actor was greeted by a media circus outside the courtroom, with reporters arriving hours early to secure one of the courtroom seats. At the first hearing, due to the gravity of the charges, Deputy Magistrate Tan Ikram returned the case to the Crown Court and also granted the actor unconditional bail, a decision Wall can overturn.

Spacey’s allegations include three sexual assault charges against three men, two in March 2005, one in August 2008 and one in April 2013. In late May, Crown Counsel also said one charge was based on a ” human error”. engaging in sexual activity with penetration without consent” in 2008.

At the June hearing, while Spacey was not invited to file a formal appeal, his attorney Patrick Gibbs said the actor “strongly denies any wrongdoing in this case”. Gibbs has also successfully fought for his client to leave the UK ahead of trial, a move prosecutor Natalie Dawson has warned could put him off, given the severity of the sentence, if convicted.

Gibbs insisted that Spacey has so far cooperated with all legal requests, spent several hours being interviewed by police in the United States, and voluntarily attended the hearing. He also stated that his job depended on being able to travel.

“What are you going to do if you don’t answer the charges, where are you going to hide?” she said. “Must he be stuck in his London flat, unable to work, unable to audition for a job?”

Source: Hollywood Reporter

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