UK jury begins deliberations in Kevin Spacey sex assault case

The jury in the sexual assault trial of Kevin Spacey began weighing on Monday the Hollywood actor’s fate in the closely followed case.

The two-time Oscar winner denies the counts, including indecent assault, which concern four men and are alleged to have occurred between 2001 and 2013.

At the opening of the trial in London last month, the prosecution claimed Spacey was a “sexual bully” who revelled in making others feel uncomfortable, including by aggressively grabbing men’s crotches.

The court has heard from the four alleged victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

One of them, a former aspiring actor, said he woke up to find Spacey performing a sex act on him, suggesting the actor “drugged” him.

One of the alleged victims accused Spacey of grabbing his crotch “so hard” they nearly came off the road while driving to a fundraising event.

Spacey, 63, in his testimony denied the sexual assault charges and described the prosecution’s case against him as “weak”.

He has previously told the court his world “exploded” when he was first accused of sexual assault several years ago by US actor Anthony Rapp in the United States, adding that he “lost everything in a matter of days”.

A US jury last year found that Rapp’s allegations were not proven and a judge there dismissed his civil case against Spacey.

The actor called upon British rock star Elton John as a witness during the current trial, with the musician giving evidence via video link from Monaco.

The Hollywood star denies seven counts of sexual 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.