Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is "a sexual bully" and "a man who sexually assaults other men," a British prosecutor alleged Friday at the start of a sexual assault trial in which he is charged with 12 offenses against four men.
Prosecutor Christine Agnew told jurors at London's Southwark Crown Court that "House of Cards" actor Spacey, 63, is "a man who it would seem delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable, a sexual bully," the PA Media news agency reported.
Agnew described to the jury incidents whereby the actor is alleged to have assaulted men who were in their 20s and 30s at the time, including one complainant who alleged "Spacey grabbed his penis with such force it was painful," and another who said he had fallen asleep or passed out and woken up to Spacey performing oral sex on him, not stopping when the man asked him to stop.
She added it may be that Spacey got a "sexual thrill out of this type of sexual aggression," according to PA.
Spacey faces 12 charges: three counts of indecent assault, seven of sexual assault, one of forcing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and one of forcing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Spacey was charged last year. He has denied the allegations.
Jurors were selected for the trial on Wednesday, and were then dismissed until Friday.
The charges relate to alleged incidents in and around London in the 2000s and early 2010s, during the 12-year period in which Spacey served as artistic director at London's Old Vic theater.
The alleged victim of the 2005 incidents is now in his 40s, while the two men allegedly involved in the 2008 and 2013 incidents are now in their 30s, London's Metropolitan Police said when making the charges last year.
Spacey has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in "The Usual Suspects" and "American Beauty." He has returned to acting in recent years after leaving "House of Cards." The actor starred in the Netflix series for five seasons before being fired in 2017 over allegations of misconduct on and off the set.
Last year, a New York jury found him not liable for battery on allegations he picked up actor Anthony Rapp and laid on top of him after a party in 1986.
The trial in London continues.