Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted three men in the UK: police

actor Kevin Spacey has been charged with sexually assaulting three men in the UK, the Crown Protective Services said on Thursday.

His indictment includes four counts of sexual assault against three men between March 2005 and April 2013.

“He was also charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.” Rosemary Ainslie, who heads the CPS Special Crime Division, said in a statement. “The charges follow a review of evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in their investigation.”

Authorities say four of the alleged incidents happened in London and the fifth in Gloucester.

The CPS statement said Spacey was charged under Section 3(1) and Section 4(1) and (4) of the Sexual Offenses Act 2003.

The first paragraph, 3(1), reads as follows:

A person (A) commits an offense if –

(1) (a) he intentionally touches another person (B),

(b) the touch is sexual

(c) B does not consent to the touch, and

(d) A does not reasonably believe that B consents.

(2) Whether an assumption is reasonable must be determined by considering all the circumstances, including any steps A has taken to determine whether B consents.

The possible penalty depends on the type of procedure pushed by the crown. If there is a so-called “summary conviction”, the possible penalty is “Imprisonment of up to 6 months or a fine up to the maximum legal limit, or both.” If there is a conviction after indictment, the possible penalty is “ imprisonment for a maximum of 10 years.”

In the United States, Spacey, now 62, was previously sued in civil court on allegations of sexual assault, and a criminal case against him here had previously collapsed because prosecutors said the plaintiff’s witness was “unavailable.” Spacey’s attorney for the Massachusetts criminal case argued that the prosecutor deleted text messages that proved the actor was innocent.

Spacey’s legal name is Kevin Spacey Fowler, the CPS noted.

This is an evolving story.

The CPS press release is below.

[image via NBC screengrab]

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