Kevin Spacey Sexual Assault Trial in London - Credit: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial in London is set to begin later this week after jury selection wrapped Wednesday, June 28.
As The Associated Press reports, 14 jurors (including two alternates) were seated without objections from the prosecution or defense. Interestingly, for such a high-profile case, it seems as if no one was disqualified from the jury for prior knowledge about Spacey.
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At one point, the judge overseeing the case outwardly acknowledged Spacey's fame to the potential jurors, saying, "I am sure the defendant will be gratified to know that many of you will know his name or have seen his films." Spacey was present in court on Wednesday.
Opening statements in the trial are scheduled for this Friday, June 30. Spacey has pleaded not guilty to the 12 charges against him. The actor was first hit with five sexual assault charges in May 2022, the allegations stemming from claims he assaulted three men between 2005 and 2013. Then, in Nov. 2022, the Crown Prosecution Serviced tacked on an additional seven charges related to "a number of sexual assaults against one man between 2001 and 2004."
Spacey has faced numerous allegations of sexual assault and misconduct in recent years (which he's denied), and he's so far emerged unscathed in any criminal or civil cases. Last October, he earned a major victory in a civil lawsuit in New York, where he was found not liable for battery tied to a sexual misconduct allegation made by Anthony Rapp.
Spacey also previously saw charges dropped and dismissed in criminal and civil cases in Massachusetts and California in 2009. In the Massachusetts case, the charges were dropped after the accuser invoked the Fifth Amendment, and the California case was dismissed after the accuser died of natural causes.
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Amidst all the accusations and legal troubles, Spacey has remained fairly busy. Though he hasn't booked any major Hollywood flicks, he was cast in the 2022 Italian drama The Man Who Drew God and recently earned a role in the American thriller Peter Five Eight. In January, he received a lifetime achievement award from Italy's National Cinema Museum.
In an interview earlier this month, Spacey suggested he had more projects lined up, and they would get the go-ahead if he was found not guilty in London. "I know that there are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London," Spacey told ZEITmagazine. "The second that happens, they're ready to move forward."
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