Kevin Spacey subjected a man he met at a celebrity event to a “barrage” of “vile” sexual comments before grabbing his crotch “like a cobra getting hold”, a court has been told.
Jurors at Southwark Crown Court in London heard this evidence from the third of four men who have accused the Hollywood actor of sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in the UK between 2001 and 2013.
On Wednesday, footage was played in court of the police interview given by the complainant, in which he told an officer that Spacey made “hardcore” sexual comments.
The latest developments from court
The man told the officer he remembered “freezing and pushing his arm away” when the actor allegedly grabbed him, describing the whole encounter as a “visceral” and “degrading” experience.
In his interview, the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he met Spacey, now 63, at a celebrity event. His first impressions were that the actor seemed “very arrogant” and “smelled of booze”, the court heard.
He told the officer Spacey started making crude comments. “It was very aggressive,” the man said. “I have never had anyone talk to me in that way.”
The complainant said he was “shocked” and “taken aback”, and questioned why the actor would think he was that “sleazy”.
Elizabeth Cook/PA
‘An abuse of his power’
“He made me feel worthless,” the complainant said, telling the officer that the “barrage” of “vile comments” were as bad as the alleged physical assault.
Describing this, the complainant said Spacey “was like a cobra and grabbed with such force it was really painful”, and it was “like a cobra coming out and getting hold”.
He said the touching was not in any way “romantic or flattering”, but “aggressive” and “angry”.
Asked why he decided to come forward years after the alleged incident, the complainant said it was as if he had “allowed somebody, in a way, to denigrate me”.
He told police: “I hope he does the right thing – if he apologises then maybe I won’t want him to go to court.”
The complainant said he put his allegations “in a box” initially because the Oscar-winning actor was seen as a “golden boy”, but that it “had a detrimental effect on my life”.
In the footage, he tells the officer that while Spacey is a celebrity, he should “still know right from wrong” and that what he allegedly did was an “abuse of his power”.
Latest evidence and the charges against Spacey
On Wednesday, the court also heard evidence from the second alleged victim, who told jurors that Spacey invited him and others back to a countryside property he was staying at, where he allegedly kissed him on the neck and grabbed his crotch.
Under cross-examination, the alleged victim denied being motivated by money in coming forward.
Spacey pleaded not guilty in July 2022 to four charges of sexual assault and one of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
In January this year, he pleaded not guilty to seven further charges – three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
The trial continues.
