Actor Kevin Spacey appeared in court in London, U.K., on Thursday morning over charges of four counts of sexual assault against three men related to alleged incidents spanning from 2005 to 2013.
Spacey, 62, arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court at around 10 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET).
As Spacey sat behind a glass barrier, Patrick Gibbs QC, defending, said his client “strenuously” denied any and all criminality in the case. He noted that Spacey had returned voluntarily to the U.K. and said he would continue to do so “in order to establish his innocence.”
The actor was formally charged on Monday, with London’s Metropolitan Police announcing the development in a news release.
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In addition to the four counts of sexual assault, Spacey was also charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Spacey had said in a statement last month that while he was “disappointed” with the decision to move forward with the charges, he would “voluntarily appear in the U.K. as soon as can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am confident will prove my innocence.”
Two counts of assault involving the same person center around incidents alleged to have taken place in London in March 2005 according to England’s Crown Prosecution Service.
Another assault was alleged to have occurred in London in August 2008. The same alleged victim had also reported the allegation of sexual activity without consent, which was also said to have taken place in August 2008.
A separate assault is alleged to have taken place in April 2013 in the county of Gloucestershire, around 100 miles west of London.
If found guilty of the most serious charge, Spacey could face a maximum punishment of life in prison.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
