UK police investigate six assault claims against actor Kevin Spacey

British police are investigating six claims of sexual assault or assault against Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey, three more than disclosed earlier.

British media reported this year that London’s Metropolitan Police force was investigating allegations against the former House of Cards star.

Prosecutors in Britain do not name suspects until they are charged, but police said they were investigating a man on three additional charges. Asked about Spacey, the force did not identify him by name but said yesterday that detectives were also looking into allegations of sexual assault alleged to have taken place in Westminster borough in 1996 and the western England city of Gloucester in 2013.

The Hollywood star was being investigated in connection with three sexual assault claims in London and is being investigated by US police for similar reported assaults in Los Angeles.

The force said three other complaints of sexual assault and one of assault by the same suspect were made. Spacey was artistic director of London’s Old Vic theatre for 11 years until 2015.

Some of the claims are related to his time at the theatre.

The UK’s Guardian newspaper reported in November that the Old Vic apologised and said that it had received 20 allegations of inappropriate behaviour. It cited a “cult of personality” as a contributing factor to the “organisation’s failings”.

Several people came forward to accuse Spacey of assault in the wake of the scandal around disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein – accused last year of sexual assault and rape by dozens of women.

Actor Anthony Rapp was among those accusing the high-profile Spacey of assault. Rapp, a co-star in Star Trek: Discovery, accused Spacey of lying on him at a party in New York in 1986 when Rapp was 14 years old.

In response to the allegations, Netflix fired Spacey from his lead role in the hit drama House of Cards.

In an interview with Australian TV this week, actor Guy Pearce was asked about Spacey.

“He’s a handsy guy,” Pearce said. “Thankfully, I was 29 and not 14.” The pair appeared together in the 1997 film LA Confidential.

An Australian audience heard LA Confidential co-star Guy Pearce this week describe Kevin Spacey as ‘a handsy guy’