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Spacey is accused of five offences in Britain -
four counts of sexual assault by touching, and a more serious
charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual
activity without consent. Prosecutors say Spacey forced a man to
have oral sex.
Spacey, wearing glasses and a light blue suit, was met by a mass
of media as he arrived at London's Westminster Magistrates'
Court, with security guards forced to battle their way through
TV crews and photographers.
Inside, he spoke only to confirm his name as Kevin Spacey Fowler
and his London address when he appeared in the dock. Spacey
showed little emotion during the short hearing.
"Mr Spacey strenuously denies any and all criminality in this
case," defence lawyer Patrick Gibbs told the court. He said the
actor had answered all the allegations in questioning three
years ago in the United States, and cooperated fully with the
investigation.
"He needs to answer these charges if he is to proceed with his
life," Gibbs said. "He has always denied that there was any
criminality in these allegations."
If found guilty of sexual assault, he would face a six-month
prison sentence or an unlimited fine, while the other offence
carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
Spacey, who the prosecution and judge court initially referred
to as "Mr Fowler", will next appear at London's Southwark Crown
Court on July 14.
He was granted unconditional bail, with Gibbs saying he needed
to be able to leave Britain for work and because his family was
in the United States, including his 9-year-old dog.
Police said the alleged assaults occurred between March 2005 and
April 2013 - four in the British capital and one in
Gloucestershire in the west of England. They involved one man
who is now in his 40s and two men now in their 30s.
Spacey, once one of Hollywood's biggest stars, has largely
disappeared from public view since being accused of sexual
misconduct five years ago.
The 62-year-old, who won Oscars for best actor in "American
Beauty" and best supporting actor in "The Usual Suspects", was
dropped from the TV show "House of Cards" and removed from the
movie "All the Money in the World" after the accusations of
sexual misconduct came to light.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Mark
Heinrich)
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