LONDON (Reuters) – A British public prosecutor said at the outset of Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey’s sexual assault trial that Spacey was an aggressive “sexual bully” who assaulted men and had no respect for boundaries or personal space.
Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of sexual assault against four men between the ages of their 20s and 30s, which are said to have occurred between 2001 and 2013.
Prosecutor Christine Agno said in the prosecution’s case at London’s Southern Crown Court on Friday that Spacey, who won two Oscars for “American Beauty” and “The Visual Aspects”, is an actor whose fame has reached horizons and won a number of awards.
“He is also, in the opinion of the prosecution, a man who sexually assaulted other men,” she added.
And she added: “A man who has no respect for boundaries or personal space, a man who seems to enjoy harassing others and making them feel vulnerable, he is a sexual bully. His preferred method of assault appears to be to violently grab other men by the pubic region.”
Dressed in a gray suit, gold tie and glasses, Spacey listened to the prosecutor’s speech from the dock.
The charges against him include repeated incidents of indecent assault and sexual assault. He is also charged with the more serious charge of forcing a person to have full sex, for which he could face life in prison.
The trial is scheduled to last 4 weeks.
In January, Spacey had pleaded not guilty to seven other counts of sexual offenses and denied a number of alleged sexual assaults against one man from 2001 to 2004.
