Two-time Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey made a brief appearance in a London court on Wednesday on the first day of his trial on multiple sexual assault charges.
Mr Spacey, 63, faces 12 counts in connection with an incident that prosecutors say involved four men between 2001 and 2013. For most of that period Mr. Spacey was the artistic director of London’s Old Vic Theatre.
At two hearings over the past year, Mr. Spacey has pleaded not guilty to all these charges.
On Wednesday morning, in the boardroom of Southwark Crown Court (a venue usually used for serious criminal cases in England), Mr Spacey appeared in a bright navy blue suit inside a large transparent box in the center of the room. sat down. He wore a blue shirt and a pink tie while the jury took oath.
Judge Mark Wohl, who presided over the case, told jurors that Spacey was “glad that so many people have known his name or seen his movies.” He said that did not disqualify him from handling the case. Spacey, who appears under his full name Kevin Spacey Fowler, smiled at the comment.
Shortly after noon, the judge dismissed the jury until Friday morning, when the prosecution was scheduled to deliver its opening statements. Mr. Spacey then left the court with several advisers.
Mr. Spacey faces 12 counts, including multiple charges of sexual assault and sexual intercourse without consent.
