Actor Kevin Spacey pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of sexually assaulting three men a decade or more ago, according to the Associated Press.
Speaking clearly, the former “House of Cards” star whose name was given as Kevin Spacey Fowler, said “not guilty” when each of the charges were put to him at London’s Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey.
Wearing glasses and a light blue suit, two-time Oscar winner, sat impassively in the dock during the 20-minute hearing as a trial date of June 6 next year was agreed.
“Thank you my Lord,” he told the judge at the end of the hearing after he was granted unconditional bail.
It was his the chance to formally answer five charges relating to offenses against the men.
Spacey, 62, was charged in mid-June with four counts of sexual assault against three men, and one charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service said in a news release earlier this year, that the offenses took place between 2005 and 2013 in London and Gloucestershire, a county around 100 miles west of the British capital. The victims are now in their 30s and 40s.
Spacey’s lawyer previously said that his client “strenuously denies” the allegations and in a statement to NBC News in late May the actor said he would “voluntarily appear“ at his court hearings and was “confident” he can prove his innocence.
If convicted, Spacey could face six months imprisonment or an unlimited fine for each sexual assualt count. The more serious charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent may see him face up to life in prison if found guilty.
May 27, 202200:20
The actor served as the artistic director at London’s Old Vic Theater 2004 to 2015. An internal investigation at the theatre in 2017 saw 20 former actors and personnel come forward with similar allegations of inappropriate and predatory behavior.
Spacey, who won a best supporting actor Academy Award for the 1995 film “The Usual Suspects” and a lead actor Oscar for the 1999 movie “American Beauty,” was granted bail and allowed to return to the United States after a preliminary hearing last month.
Spacey’s celebrated career came to an abrupt halt in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp accused the star of assaulting him at a party in the 1980s, when Rapp was still a minor. Spacey denies the allegations.
The following year, Spacey was charged with indecent assault in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in an incident involving the teenage son of a former Boston TV news anchor. Spacey pleaded not guilty, and the charge was dropped when the alleged victim withdrew a civil lawsuit.
The stream of allegations have derailed Spacey’s career, and saw him dropped from hit Netflix show “House of Cards“ and the Ridley Scott film “All the Money in the World.”
Reuters and Associated Press contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
