Actor Spacey appears in court to defend himself against groping claims
Kevin Spacey made an unusual appearance at a Massachusetts courthouse yesterday where his attorney demanded access to the cellphone of the young man who has accused the actor of groping him at a bar on the resort island of Nantucket three years ago.
Spacey’s attorney Alan Jackson called the case against the actor “ridiculous” and accused prosecutors of withholding information from the defence.
Mr Jackson urged the judge to set a trial date as soon as possible, saying the former House of Cards star was “suffering” without are solution to the case. The judge said the earliest the trial would happen was autumn.
Spacey’s appearance came as somewhat of a surprise given he was not required to attend the hearing. The 59-year-old had stayed away from the courthouse except for a brief hearing in January.
The two-time Oscar winner, who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent assault and batter y, did not comment as he walked in with his lawyers. Spacey faces up to two years in jail if convicted.
His attorneys have stepped up their attacks on the credibility of the man who brought the allegations. In court documents filed on Friday, Mr Jackson accused the man of deleting text messages that support Spacey’s claims of innocence.
It is the only criminal case that has been brought against Spacey since his career fell apart amid a flurry of sexual misconduct allegations in 2017.
The case first came to light that year when former Boston TV anchor He at herUnr uh said Spacey got her son drunk and then sexually assaulted him in July 2017 at the Club Car – a popular restaurant and bar on the resort island off Cape Cod. Unruh’s son told police he wanted to get a picture with Spacey and went over to talk to him after his shift ended at the Club Car where he worked as a busboy.
The man said Spacey bought him several drinks and tried to persuade him to come home with him before unzipping the man’s trousers and groping him for about three minutes.
Spacey’s lawyers have called the allegations “patently false”.