Sophia Michaels
Kevin Spacey will face seven more charges of sexual assault when he heads to trial in London next June.
The Crown Prosecution Service announced the authorization of the new charges Wednesday, Nov. 16. Rosemary Ainslie, the head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said the new criminal charges were related to “a number of sexual assaults against one man between 2001 and 2004.” (The victim was not identified.)
The charges include three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. Spacey was already facing five sexual assault charges tied to accusations that he assaulted three men between 2005 and 2013.
Spacey appeared in court in London over the summer and pleaded not guilty to those charges. A rep for the actor did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment on the authorization of the new charges.
In May, after the initial charges were filed, Spacey issued a statement saying, “I very much appreciate the Crown Prosecution Service’s statement in which they carefully reminded the media and the public that I am entitled to a fair trial, and innocent until proven otherwise. While I am disappointed with their decision to move forward, I will 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.”
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr Spacey are active and that he has the right to a fair trial,” Ainslie said.
Spacey’s U.K. trial is set to begin June 6, 2023, and is expected to last three to four weeks (Spacey was previously granted unconditional bail). The U.K. trial will follow Spacey’s recent victory in a civil lawsuit in New York, where he was found not liable for battery in regard to sexual misconduct allegations made by Anthony Rapp.
While Spacey has faced numerous allegations of sexual assault and misconduct in recent years — which he has denied — he has so far emerged unscathed from any court proceedings. Along with winning the Rapp trial, the actor previously saw charges dropped and dismissed in criminal and civil cases in Massachusetts and California in 2019. In the Massachusetts case, the charges were dropped after the accuser invoked the Fifth Amendment, while the California case was dismissed after the accuser died of natural causes.
