Elton John and husband David Furnish appeared on Monday as defense witnesses in the UK trial of actor Kevin Spacey, who is accused of multiple sexual assaults.
John, who presented evidence via a video link from Monaco, said Spacey was at the White Tie and Tiara Ball, an event John and Furnish have held annually at their home in the UK for over a decade. I was asked about my memories of participating. Money to fight AIDS.
The incident was mentioned several times in the trial that began last month. One of the whistleblowers told British police that Mr Spacey touched him several times without his consent. That included one time, in 2004 or 2005, when Mr Spacey grabbed his genitals and nearly veered off the road while driving to White Tie and Tiara. ball.
The plaintiff then said he had threatened to knock Spacey out, and Spacey said with a laugh that the plaintiff’s anger had pissed him off.
Under UK law, it is illegal to identify a whistleblower in a sexual assault case or to publish information that could identify a whistleblower.
On Monday morning, Mr. John, 76, was asked if Mr. Spacey had attended his ball. The singer said Spacey attended once in 2001, then added that he doesn’t remember Spacey visiting his home after the event.
“He came in on a private jet and was right at the ball,” John said during the 13-minute appearance. Asked to confirm that Spacey had arrived by private jet, John replied that he thought he would because he didn’t think anyone would wear a white tie on a commercial flight.
Furnish, 60, testified separately via a video link and said he did not remember Spacey attending a ball after 2001. Furnish said he looked through old issues of OK!, the celebrity magazine that sponsored the event. After the 2001 event, Spacey wasn’t in any of her photos.
Mr. Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts related to an incident that prosecutors say involved four men from 2001 to 2013. For most of that time, Mr. Spacey was the artistic director of the major Old Vic theaters. Playhouse in London. John told the court that in 2002 he was chairman of the board that governs the theater.
