An alleged victim of actor Kevin Spacey claimed good-looking young men were warned about the “slippery” Hollywood star as it was “well known he was up to no good”, a court has heard.
Jurors at Southwark Crown Court were shown footage of a police interview in which the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said it was like the Hollywood star “thought he could groom me”.
The witness described Spacey as a “slippery, snaky, difficult person” and referenced his serial killer character in the film Seven, saying: “He’s a bit like that, a bit creepy.”
The 63-year-old defendant has been described by the prosecution as a “sexual bully” as he stands trial accused of sex offences against four men between 2001 and 2013.
In the video played to the jury on Monday, the man said Spacey told him he could introduce him to A-list stars.
Detailing an incident where he fought back against one of the alleged assaults, the witness said the actor responded by saying: “That’s such a turn on to me. You’re such a man.”
In the police interview, the man told the officer about an incident in which he drove Spacey to a “lavish” showbiz party in the early 2000s.
Describing what he said happened to him, the man said: “He grabbed me so hard I almost came off the road. He grabbed me really hard and it really hurt.
“I pushed him against the door and said, ‘Don’t do that again or I will knock you out’.”
The man told the officer that young, good-looking men were warned about the actor’s behaviour, and said people would tell them “you better be careful”.
“It was well known he was up to no good,” the witness added.
Kevin Spacey is on trial at Southwark Crown Court— (AFP via Getty Images)
He said he was “disgusted” Spacey had touched him, and denied being excited by it when questioned by the actor’s lawyer, Patrick Gibbs KC.
The witness also dismissed Mr Gibbs’s question over whether the incidents made him question his sexuality – describing it as a “ridiculous question”.
The man told police that the actor became “very friendly” and started to grab him on several occasions, and the alleged victim told him to stop.
“He would try to grope me and try to grab me and make me feel very uncomfortable,” the witness said. “He sort of left me and didn’t say anything. He would just laugh it off and change the subject.”
The man said he could now no longer watch any of Spacey’s films or TV programmes, including Netflix show House of Cards.
He said in his police interview: “I can’t stand watching the man. It makes me feel sick.”
The man told the officer Spacey was “pretending to be nice” but was a “predator” who was “aggressive”.
He added: “He was obviously very messed up with his sexuality.”
It was well known he was up to no good— First alleged victim of Kevin Spacey
Asked by Mr Gibbs if he thought the actor’s advances were “naughty”, the complainant said: “It wasn’t naughty, it was disgusting.”
“And also nice?” asked Mr Gibbs.
“Not nice at all,” the witness replied.
Continuing his cross-examination of the alleged victim, Mr Gibbs began to ask: “Didn’t what happened between you…”
The man interjected: “Nothing happened between us – he assaulted me.”
He told the jury he “totally 100, one million per cent did not” have any feelings towards Spacey.
“Did what happened lead you to question your own sexuality?” Mr Gibbs asked.
“Not at all. Ridiculous question,” the witness responded.
Spacey has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges against him (Jordan Pettitt/PA)— (PA Wire)
The man said it is “not true at all” that he reported the allegations to police because he “saw a bandwagon coming” and decided to “hop on board”.
“That is not true at all,” he said. “It was the fact that it was in the news and it was all coming back to me.
“It made me have those feelings that I had then, thinking some others have been brave enough to come forward. It caused me to come forward and tell the truth as well. It is just to tell the truth.”
He said he described the actor as a “predator” who was “grooming” him because “that was his demeanour” and “I just felt he was a bit like that”.
Spacey pleaded not guilty in January to three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
The two-time Academy Award winner also previously denied four further charges of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
The trial continues.
