Celebrity
Oscar Winning Actor Kevin Spacey Faces 7 Charges in the UK
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the United Kingdom has authorized seven additional charges against Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey for sexual assaults against one man between 2001 and 2004.
One of the new CPS charges is causing a person to engage in sexual activity without their consent, while others are indecent and sexual assault. The new charges result from an examination of evidence gathered by British police.
Spacey, 63, was previously charged with five counts of sexual assault by touching in the United Kingdom and a more serious charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
In June, his lawyer stated that Spacey had “strenuously” denied the allegations of sex crimes.
Patrick Gibbs, Spacey’s British lawyer, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the new charges.
In the United States, Spacey won a sexual abuse case against him last month after jurors in a Manhattan civil trial determined that his accuser failed to prove his claim that Spacey made an unwanted sexual advance on him when he was 14 years old.
Anthony Rapp on Kevin Spacey Trial
Anthony Rapp has made his first public comments since the settlement of his $40 million civil suit against Kevin Spacey. On October 20, a New York jury sided with Spacey, concluding that the Oscar winner did not molest Rapp as a teenager.
During an event hosted by The Meteor, a feminist media company, Rapp spoke about the trial and his original decision to come forward with allegations against Spacey.
In an interview with Variety, the 51-year-old actor discussed the benefits and drawbacks of confronting trauma through legal channels.
“There is no doubt that a courtroom is not a safe space for trauma.” So I completely understand why some people don’t pursue that angle,” Rapp said during the discussion.
“What exactly is the proof?” How do you back up your claims?
Honouring a story, listening, being a mirror, holding, and healing are all important parts of the movement. You mention these things.
Those aren’t necessarily things that a courtroom is interested in. It is not the only option. It is a route. I did want to take advantage of the opportunity to see what was possible.”
In a 2017 BuzzFeed article, Rapp first made allegations against Spacey, claiming that Spacey lifted him, placed him on his bed, and pinned him down in a sexually aggressive manner.
At the time, Rapp was 14 years old, while Spacey was 26. Rapp described the incident in court as one of the “most traumatic” of his life.
During the conversation at the Brooklyn Museum, Rapp reflected on his decision to come forward with allegations against Spacey in the early days of the #MeToo movement.
Women like Tarana Burke and Lupita Nyong’o, who shared accounts of now-ex-producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, prompted Rapp to consider his experience as part of something larger.
“I had heard that other people had told me about incidents they had had with Kevin Spacey over the years.” I pushed my experience aside because many of the stories I heard were much worse.
So I didn’t think my experience was on par with those,” Rapp explained. “I’ve talked to other people, especially young actors on the rise, especially in Hollywood, probably more so than in New York.” It was out of control. The lights are on enough that it should happen less frequently to some of these very vulnerable young men.”
Despite his legal victory over Rapp, Spacey faces new challenges. The actor was ordered to pay roughly $31 million in damages to MRC, the producer of his Netflix series “House of Cards,” after abuse allegations led to episode-order cuts on the production.
