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Sir Elton John testified on Monday, July 17, via video conference, as a defense witness in the trial of US actor Kevin Spacey, who has been on trial in London since late June for sexual assault. Spacey, aged 63, has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of sexual assault involving four men spanning from 2001 to 2013, notably in 2004 when he was the artistic director of London’s Old Vic Theatre.
One accuser claims that Spacey sexually assaulted him while he was driving the actor to a charity gala at Elton John’s residence in the early 2000s. “He grasped my private area so firmly that I almost veered off the road,” the plaintiff explained during his cross-examination.
“It was a gentle touch (…) and in my mind, it was romantic,” Spacey retorted on Thursday, July 13, denying any “violent,” “aggressive,” or “painful” conduct. Testifying from Monaco, John corroborated Spacey’s presence at his annual Windsor ball, west of London, in the early 2000s. “He arrived wearing a white tie,” asserted the musician, “He flew in on a private jet and went straight to the ball.”
John added that the actor spent the night at his home that evening, “I don’t recall him coming after that,” the singer continued.
John’s husband, David Furnish, also testified to Spacey’s attendance at this high-profile event, “He was an Oscar-winning actor; there was considerable excitement about his presence at the ball.”
Dressed in a gray suit and polka-dot tie, Spacey listened to the testimony of the two men from the London Crown Court. The actor appeared moved as his attorney, Patrick Gibbs, read out ten witness statements from friends and family members.
Actor Robert Sean Leonard, renowned for his roles in the film Dead Poets Society and the series House M.D., portrayed Spacey as a “positive, encouraging, and respectful” individual.
Chris Lemmon, the son of actor Jack Lemmon (Some Like It Hot), stated that Spacey was “like another son” to his father.
Last week, Spacey categorically denied the accusations, suggesting the encounters were “consensual” and criticizing the prosecution’s “weak” case. However, the two-time Academy Award winner for his roles in American Beauty and The Usual Suspects was characterized as a “sexual predator” by the prosecution at the outset of the trial.
The allegations emerged in 2017 amidst the #MeToo movement, when Spacey was at the height of his fame, primarily starring in Netflix’s hit series House of Cards. Following the accusations, he was dropped from the series and several other planned projects.
The trial of the actor, now in its fourth week, is set to continue on Tuesday.
With AFP
