Kevin Spacey Called a “Sexual Bully” in London Courtroom

A jury in a London courtroom heard a crown prosecutor accuse Kevin Spacey of being a “sexual bully” during the opening statements of his trial on multiple sexual assault charges.

The Oscar-winning actor is facing 12 charges for allegedly abusing four men at various times between 2001 and 2013. Spacey, 63, has denied all charges.

Prosecutor Christine Agnew KC on Friday first warned jurors to avoid being “starstruck” by Spacey, alleging he was not just a Hollywood star but something more abusive and criminal, according to The Guardian.

“He is also, the prosecution allege, a man who sexually assaults other men,” Agnew told the court. “A man who does not respect personal boundaries or space, a man who it would seem delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable. A sexual bully. His preferred method of assault is it appears to grab aggressively other men in the crotch. On one occasion things went further than that.”

Spacey’s counsel Patrick Gibbs admitted his the actor had engaged in consensual sexual relations with the men, but said their stories had elements “reimagined with a sinister spin” with “some truths and some half-truths” as well as “many damned lies” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Those accusations include charges he repeatedly groped the crotches of unsuspecting men, including at least once to the point of pain, which reportedly aroused Spacey. He is also accused of performing unwanted oral sex on a sleeping man.

The charges Spacey faces include seven of sexual assault, three of indecent assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.