"The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr Spacey are active and that he has the right to a fair trial."
Disgraced actor Kevin Spacey has been charged with four counts of sexual assault following a decision taken by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the UK.
Spacey was also charged one further count of "causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent".
According to the
Crown Prosecution Service, the 62-year-old "has the right to a fair trial" in light of the proceedings.
"The CPS has authorised criminal charges against Kevin Spacey, 62, for four counts of sexual assault against three men," said Rosemary Ainslie, Head of the CPS Special Crime Division.
"He has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The charges follow a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation.
"The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr Spacey are active and that he has the right to a fair trial."
The CPS has noted that is "extremely important" that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online that could in any way prejudice the legal proceedings forthwith.
"The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider," said Ainslie.
"The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors."
Spacey, who is currently attempting to revive his acting career, has been formally charged with the following offences:
- Four offences of sexual assault, contrary to section 3(1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and one offence of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, contrary to sections 4(1) and (4) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
- Sexual assault 1 – March 2005 London (complainant 1)
- Sexual assault 2 – March 2005 London (complainant 1)
- Sexual assault 3 – August 2008 London (complainant 2)
- Causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent - August 2008 London (complainant 2)
- Sexual assault 4 - April 2013 Gloucestershire (complainant 3)
In November, Spacey was
ordered to pay $31 million for breaching his House of Cards deal. That legal action followed a two-year behind-closed-doors battle over his conduct on the set of the Netflix series.
According to the
Hollywood Reporter, the allegations against the actor – which include the groping of a production assistant – resulted in the termination of his acting and producing contracts on the show.
