What to Know About Kevin Spacey’s U.Ok. Trial

The Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is scheduled to go on trial in London on Wednesday, going through a number of allegations of sexual assault.

Since the #MeToo motion got here to prominence six years in the past, various high-profile males have been accused of misconduct, but Mr. Spacey’s case is considered one of only some to achieve a British courtroom.

The actor, 63, has already pleaded not responsible to all expenses. This month, in an interview with Zeit Magazin, a German journal, he stated he anticipated to be discovered harmless, after which he would resume appearing.

The trial at Southwark Crown Court is scheduled to final 4 weeks. During that point, the courthouse is more likely to be full of reporters and movie star watchers following the case.

Here’s what that you must know.

Why is Kevin Spacey on trial in Britain?

Mr. Spacey is accused of sexually assaulting 4 males in England between 2001 and 2013. For a lot of that interval, Mr. Spacey was the creative director of the Old Vic theater, considered one of London’s most acclaimed playhouses.

Last June, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service charged Mr. Spacey with 4 counts of sexual assault towards three males, in addition to one other of inflicting an individual to interact in penetrative sexual exercise with out their consent.

A number of months later, in November, the prosecutors licensed seven additional expenses towards Mr. Spacey associated to a different complainant. Those included three counts of sexual assault, three of indecent assault and one rely of inflicting an individual to interact in sexual exercise with out consent.

Both units of expenses can be thought-about on this month’s trial.

How will the trial work?

Anna Bradshaw, a British felony lawyer, stated in a phone interview that the case will look totally different from an American trial. In Britain, authorized professionals known as barristers argue instances in courtroom whereas carrying the normal garb of white wigs and black robes.

The trial won’t be televised, Ms. Bradshaw added, as a result of cameras are hardly ever allowed in British courts. (Instead, specialist artists sketch the scene.)

The complainants can even not be publicly recognized, Ms. Bradshaw stated, including that this rule was in place to guard accusers’ privateness and encourage victims of sexual assault to report incidents to the police. They will probably give proof, and be cross-examined, “via a video-link, or, in court, possibly from behind a screen or curtain,” Ms. Bradshaw stated.

During the four-week trial, the prosecutors will first define their case to the 12-person jury, then Mr. Spacey’s staff will make its protection.

What penalty does Mr. Spacey probably face?

One of the offenses carries a most sentence of life imprisonment. Others additionally include potential jail phrases. Under British regulation, judges have some flexibility to change sentences.

If there’s a responsible verdict, the decide would usually maintain a separate listening to to announce the sentence at a later date, Ms. Bradshaw added.

What has Mr. Spacey stated in regards to the accusations?

In two hearings over the previous yr, Mr. Spacey pleaded not responsible to the fees towards him. Last June, Patrick Gibbs, Mr. Spacey’s authorized consultant, informed a courtroom that the actor was decided to determine his innocence.

In Britain, the place it’s an offense to publish data that will bias a jury, defendants like Mr. Spacey face some restrictions in utilizing the news media to make their case earlier than a trial.

To keep away from breaking British regulation, Mr. Spacey didn’t focus on the case within the Zeit Magazin article, other than stressing his innocence. But he stated he knew of administrators who wished to work with him as soon as the trial ended. “I know that there are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges,” he stated.