Man woke to find Kevin Spacey performing sex act on him, court told | UK news

An aspiring actor broke down in tears as he told how he “conked out” at Kevin Spacey’s flat before waking up to find the Oscar-winner performing a sex act on him, a court heard.

In his police interview, which was played to Southwark crown court on Monday, the man said he had been told before the meeting that Spacey liked young straight men but that he did not know “at that point he was a predator”.

The man said he felt vulnerable during the alleged assault because of Spacey’s power in the theatre world. He said: “You don’t want to annoy someone that powerful, that high up in the business you are trying to break into. The social sway he had was massive. If he said someone wasn’t going to work, I imagine they wouldn’t work.”

He said he came forward in the wake of the #MeToo movement, telling the police officer: “I said when the Harvey Weinstein thing happened something will happen in the next few weeks with Kevin Spacey.”

Spacey has previously denied 12 charges, including sexual assault and indecent assault, against four men in their 20s and 30s, between 2001 and 2013. The two-time Academy Award winner appeared in the dock on Monday in a dark suit and blue tie, on the seventh day of his month-long trial.

The court heard the man met Spacey in 2008 after writing to the American Beauty star to ask for advice about his fledgling acting career. He said he was starstruck and felt “weirdly special” when Spacey called him a few weeks later and asked to meet him outside Waterloo Station in south London for a beer.

The man said a friend who was present when Spacey called him said the Hollywood star liked “young straight guys”. “But I didn’t know at that point he was a predator,” the man added.

He said he recalled going on a walk with Spacey and his dog before being taken to Spacey’s flat, saying: “He said: ‘This is my place, do you want to come up?’, to which I said: ‘Of course,’ because it’s Kevin Spacey.”

He said Spacey offered him leftover pizza and the pair drank beers and smoked weed. He said soon after, Spacey asked him for a hug before nuzzling his head into his crotch. “He’s rubbing face into my crotch and I remember putting my hands up and seeing Kevin Spacey’s bald patch. I remember thinking this is so weird,” the man said.

He said there was an “uncomfortable air” and that his memory then became hazy. Speaking about the allegation of the sex act, the man continued: “Going to sleep isn’t something I would normally do. I don’t want to insinuate something untoward was going on but it was unusual in my behaviour just to conk out.

“I remember four to five hours later waking up – my belt was still together but my button and my zip were down and he was performing oral sex on me.”

The man said he reacted by saying “no” but Spacey continued. He said he pushed Spacey off, before adding: “Then he [Spacey] stopped and asked me to leave straight away. He said I shouldn’t talk to anyone about what had happened.”

The man said he should have realised that it was a “sexual advance”.

“In hindsight, it was just quite tactical. He [Spacey] had one thing he wanted to do. Come back, give me a few beers, a bit of weed, nuzzle [his] head into my crotch and he thought I would put out.”

In cross-examination, Patrick Gibbs KC, defending Spacey, pointed out that the man had called Spacey after the alleged encounter. The man responded: “After what happened, I didn’t think people would believe me so I wanted to meet him to get him to say something about the truth and I could record it.”

Gibbs said phone records showed that Spacey had sent a series of text messages to the man after the alleged incident. But the complainant said he could not remember receiving them.

Spacey denies 12 charges, which 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.

The trial continues.