One of Kevin Spacey’s alleged victims compared the actor to the serial killer he played in David Fincher’s feature “Se7en” in a U.K. court on Monday.
The man, who can not be identified under British law, detailed the allegations against Spacey in a pre-recorded police interview, which was played to the jury at Southwark Crown Court in London. He said Spacey had groped him “a good dozen times,” including touching his inner thighs and genitals over his clothes, “smack[ing] his arse” and putting the man’s hands on Spacey’s genitals. The alleged incidents took place over the space of “a few years.”
During the interview, the man also compared Spacey to his character in the Fincher film. “His character in ‘Se7en,’ he’s a bit like that,” the man said. “A bit creepy. Maybe not quite as bad.”
In the 1995 crime thriller, Spacey plays a murderer inspired by the seven deadly sins.
The actor, who is also known for his turns in “House of Cards” and “American Beauty,” is on trial for 12 counts of sexual assault against four different men, alleged to have taken place between 2001 and 2013. Spacey denies all the charges.
The man described how from the moment he first met Spacey tangentially through the actor’s employment as artistic director of London theater the Old Vic, Spacey showered him with questions and compliments. “He was almost right from the get go grooming me,” said the man.
As time progressed, the man alleged, the “grooming” swiftly moved to inappropriate and unwanted touching. “He’d grab my hand and put my hand on his privates,” the man said. “I used to call him a weirdo. I used to say ‘You’re a fucking weirdo.’ He used to laugh about it, he used to find it funny… he wasn’t embarrassed.”
Spacey’s alleged victim also described the actor as “quite an angry person” although he could also be “very charming,” he said.
The final time the man encountered Spacey was during a car ride to a glitzy celebrity party outside London. Spacey had been drinking, the man alleged, and seemed paranoid he was being followed by paparazzi. The man, who was driving at the time, said as they approach the venue Spacey suddenly grabbed his genitals so hard he almost crashed the car.
“His hand hit me quite hard on the inside thigh then moved up, real thud, hit me right in the nuts basically,” the alleged victim said in the pre-recorded video. “It took my breath away.”
The man said he pulled the car over and told Spacey “it fucking hurt, you can’t do that.” In response, he said, Spacey “giggled.”
Asked by the police why the man had waited such a long time to come forward with the allegations, he replied that he had felt “embarrassed” and had also worried he would suffer professional repercussions. He said the alleged abuse had caused him to suffer anxiety, stress and depression.
After the pre-recorded video was played to the jury, the man entered the witness box in the courtroom, hidden behind a curtain, where he was examined by barrister for the prosecution Christine Agney KC followed by Spacey’s lawyer, Patrick Gibbs KC.
The case continues.
