Names and faces

■ British police are investigating six claims of sexual assault or assault by Academy Award-winning actor

Kevin Spacey, three more than previously disclosed. Earlier this year, British media reported that London’s Metropolitan Police force was investigating three allegations against the former House of Cards star. While police in Britain don’t name suspects until they are charged, the force said Wednesday that detectives are now investigating a total of five allegations of sexual assault and one of assault. Five of the incidents took place in London between 1996 and 2008, and the sixth in the western English city of Gloucester in 2013. Spacey, 58, a two-time Oscar winner, has been accused of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior by numerous men since American actor Anthony Rapp alleged last year that Spacey had climbed on top of him on a bed when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. After Rapp’s allegation, London’s Old Vic theater, where Spacey was artistic director for 11 years until 2015, began an investigation into its former leader. The theater said in November that it had received 20 allegations of inappropriate behavior by Spacey and had encouraged 14 of the complainants to go to the police. Spacey apologized to Rapp in October for “deeply inappropriate drunken behavior” and released a statement saying he was seeking unspecified treatment.

■ U.S. Sen. Rand Paul says he still has trouble breathing since he was tackled in his yard eight months ago by a neighbor who was given a 30-day sentence — a punishment the Kentucky Republican thinks should have been harsher. Paul, who suffered multiple broken ribs in the attack last November while he was doing yard work at his home, told his hometown newspaper, the Bowling Green Daily News, that too often people “seem to think violence is the answer,” and one way to stop the trend is with punishments that fit the crimes. “The signal from society needs to be that this level of violence that we’re descending to is just not acceptable,” Paul said. His neighbor, Rene Boucher, pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress and was sentenced last month. Recounting the attack, Paul told the newspaper that it was “like the pain of a thousand knives” when he was tackled as he stepped off his riding lawnmower. Eight months later, the senator is handling routine duties but said: “I still have trouble breathing. The pain now is more of a chronic pain.” Also this week, Paul said he and his family were targeted by someone threatening to attack them with an ax. “We do need to have better dialogue in our country and learn that violence isn’t the answer to things,” he said. “But these things need to be punished so someone else doesn’t think it’s OK.”

Spacey

Paul