Warning: This article discusses sexual assault.
UPDATE: Kevin Spacey made his first appearance in London court for his sexual assault case.
The actor, who was formally charged with four counts of sexual assault against three men in the United Kingdom last month, was not asked to enter pleas during the brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 16, per the Press Association. While he was granted bail, the court did set a July 14 date for Spacey's next appearance at Southwark Crown Court.
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Amid the charges brought forth against the actor last week, Kevin Spacey says he's innocent until proven otherwise.
Five days after Britain's Crown Prosecution Service [CPS] announced that the 62-year-old was being charged with four counts of sexual assault against three men, the House of Cards alum spoke out in a statement issued through his spokesperson.
"I very much appreciate the Crown Prosecution Service's statement in which they carefully reminded the media and the public that I am entitled to a fair trial, and innocent until proven otherwise," the message, issued to GMA on May 31, read. "While I am disappointed with their decision to move forward, I will voluntarily appear in the U.K. as soon as can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am confident will prove my innocence."
On May 26, CPS announced Spacey was being charged with four counts of sexual assault against three men in the United Kingdom, with the alleged incidents taking place between 2005 to 2013.
According to the press release issued by CPS, two of the alleged sexual assaults took place in London in March 2005. The third alleged act of sexual assault occurred in August 2008 with another individual, with the person accusing Spacey of making him "engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent," per CPS. The fourth alleged sexual assault incident took place in April 2013.
The actor's latest legal trouble come a little more than four years after he was removed from his starring role on House of Cards after allegations of sexual assault and misconduct surfaced against him.
In 2017, actor Anthony Rapp accused the older actor of being sexually inappropriate with him when he was 14 years old. Hours after the story was published by Buzzfeed News in October, Spacey shared a statement to his social media in response.
"I am beyond horrified to hear his story," he wrote at the time. "I honestly do not remember the encounter as it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then as he describes I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior and I am sorry for the feelings he described having carried with him all these years."
The following year, in 2018, Spacey faced a felony charge of indecent assault and battery, to which he plead not guilty. The charge was later dropped due to the "unavailability of the complaining witness," according to court documents obtained by E! News at the time.
Although Spacey hasn't addressed his past allegations in great detail publicly, he recently faced backlash for comparing the COVID-19 layoffs to the demise of his own career in 2020. "I don't often like to tell people that I can relate to their situation because I think it undermines the experience that they may be having, which is their own unique and very personal experience," he said during an April 2020 episode of the Bits & Pretzels podcast. "But in this instance, I feel as though I can relate to what it feels like to have your world suddenly stop."
He continued, "So while we may have found ourselves in similar situations, albeit for very different reasons and circumstances, I still believe that some of the emotional struggles are very much the same."
This article was originally published Tue, May 31, 2022, 7:04 a.m.