Lawyers for Kevin Spacey sought help from an A-list star on Monday in his sexual assault trialcalling on Elton John and his husband to cast doubt on one of the Oscar-winning actor’s accusers following the defense.
John appeared briefly in court in London via video link from Monaco after husband David Furnish said Spacey had not attended the annual party at their Windsor home when the accuser said he was attacked in a car.
One of the alleged victims said he was driving with Spacey to the White Tie & Tiara Ball in 2004 or 2005 when the actor grabbed his crotch so hard he nearly ran off the road.
Furnish supported Spacey’s own testimony that the only year he attended the event was 2001. Furnish said he reviewed photographs taken at the party from 2001 to 2005 and Spacey only appeared in the images that that year. He said all the guests were photographed every year.
John, who wore yellow tinted glasses, a dark jacket and a light blue open-necked shirt, said the actor attended the party once in the early 2000s and arrived after flying away to England in a private jet.
Furnish said Spacey’s appearance was a surprise and he remembered it because it was a big deal.
“He was an Oscar-winning actor and there was a lot of buzz and excitement that he was at the ball,” said Furnish, who also testified from Monaco.
John said the actor spent the night at their home after the event. He also confirmed that Spacey bought a Mini Cooper at the auction held that evening for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Spacey said he spent the most money “ever” on this model car and kept it in John’s garage until he could pick it up later.
The alleged victim said he may have gotten the year wrong, but he wouldn’t have forgotten the incident as it took his breath away and he was driving and nearly crashed the car.
The timeline, however, is important as the man testified that Spacey fondled him for several years beginning in the early 2000s. The incident was the last occasion, he said. He threatened to punch the actor and then dodged him.
Spacey said the two were friends and had been romantically involved, but the man was straight, so the actor respected his wish not to go any further. He said he was crushed when he learned the man had complained to police about him and said the man had ‘reimagined’ what had been consensual touching.
Furnish said he knew the accuser and described him as “charming”, the same term Spacey used.
Spacey spoke on Thursday for the first time during his UK trial, denying allegations made against him by four men and offering his own version of events and relationships. The Hollywood actor is accused by the men of sexual assault, indecent assault and inciting a person to engage in sexual activity without their consent.
Spacey has pleaded not guilty to the 12 counts brought against him. The accusers, who provided graphic testimony in the courtroom this week, cannot be publicly named under UK law.
Spacey’s remarkable acting career largely came to an end in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp publicly accused him of sexual misconduct, but he pushed back against those accusations and criminal charges of sexual misconduct in a 2019 case. in Massachusetts.
As Spacey wrapped up his testimony on Thursday, the actor became emotional and reflected on how his career had come to an abrupt end.
“My world blew up,” Spacey tearfully told the court, referring to the aftermath of the initial 2017 allegation made by Rapp that all but ended his award-winning career. “There was a rush to judgment and before the first question was asked or answered, I lost my job, I lost my reputation, I lost everything in a matter of days.”
