Kevin Spacey accuser invokes right not to testify

THE MAN WHO accused Kevin Spacey of groping him at a bar in 2016 asserted his Fifth Amendment right against selfincrimination and refused to testify Monday. Spacey’s accuser was ordered to take the stand after he said he lost a cellphone sought by the defense, which says the man deleted messages that support Spacey’s claims of innocence and provided investigators with manipulated screenshots.

The accuser said he gave police what he had “available” to him “at the time” and did not alter any messages. Pressed by Spacey’s lawyer about whether he knew that altering evidence is a crime, the man invoked his right against selfincrimination, and the judge said his testimony would be stricken from the record. Spacey’s lawyer urged the judge to dismiss the case.

The judge said he would not immediately dismiss the case, but said prosecutors would have a tough time bringing it to trial if the man won’t testify.