A not guilty plea was entered by Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey, and it was announced that his trial would take place the following year.
Three men have alleged that the actor assaulted them sexually over ten years ago.
Spacey, 62, answered each of the five charges at a hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey, by clearly speaking while he was in the dock and answering “not guilty.”
The trial was set to start on June 6, 2023, and was expected to last three to four weeks, according to the case’s presiding judge Mark Wall. The Old Bailey, where Britain’s most illustrious criminal trials have taken place, is where the criminal trials are anticipated to take place.
The former “House of Cards” star, who oversaw London’s Old Vic theatre from 2004 to 2015, denied four counts of sexual assault and one count of encouraging another person to engage in penetrating sexual activity without consent.
One of the incidents allegedly happened in western England in April 2013, and the other incidents are said to have occurred in London between March 2005 and August 2008. The victims are currently between 30 and 40 years old.
Spacey “strenuously denies” the accusations against him, according to the actor’s attorneys, who made that claim initially.
Following a preliminary hearing last month, Spacey, who is known to have homes in both the U.S. and London, was given bail and allowed to travel back to the country.
A new pretrial hearing would take place in the early months of 2023, according to the judge, who extended the actor’s unconditional bail.
The fifteen-minute hearing was concluded, and the actor thanked the judge.
In a chauffeur-driven car, he was led out of court while remaining silent and through a throng of photographers.
