Elton John appeared remotely Monday during Kevin Spacey’s criminal sexual assault trial.
John testified remotely in Spacey’s defense, confirming the “American Beauty” star only attended one of the musician’s annual gala parties in 2001. One of Spacey’s alleged victims claimed the actor assaulted him while the two were driving to John’s White Tie & Tiara Ball in 2004 or 2005.
John’s husband David Furnish also testified Spacey only attended the event in 2001. Furnish said he had reviewed photographs taken at the party from 2001 to 2005 and Spacey only appeared in images that one year. He said all guests were photographed each year.
Spacey is on trial after pleading not guilty to charges of sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
KEVIN SPACEY DENIES CLAIMS GROPING IS HIS ‘TRADEMARK’ PICKUP MOVE AS CRIMINAL SEXUAL ASSAULT TRIAL CONTINUES
Elton John testified virtually Monday in Kevin Spacey’s defense during his criminal sexual assault trial. (Getty Images)
Kevin Spacey, left, and Sir Elton John at the White Tie and Tiara Ball on July 5, 2001. John testified it was the only year Spacey attended the event. (John Rogers/Getty Images)
John claimed Spacey arrived by private jet in 2001, and Furnish recalled the appearance being a big deal. “He was an Oscar-winning actor and there was a lot of buzz and excitement that he was at the ball,” Furnish said.
Spacey’s alleged victim explained he may have gotten the date wrong, but insisted the actor had violently groped him while he was driving a vehicle, and he almost ran off the road.
A court sketch shows Kevin Spacey giving testimony amid his sexual assault trial. (Getty Images)
The former “House of Cards” star first took the stand Thursday, where he denied violently groping one of his accusers and instead painted a picture of their “intimate” and “somewhat sexual” relationship for the jury. “I never thought that (the man) I knew would… 20 years later stab me in the back,” he said.
Spacey’s description of gentle stroking was in direct contradiction to what the alleged victims testified. They said he caught them by surprise when he aggressively grabbed their privates through their clothing.
“It wasn’t like a caress,” one man testified. “It was like a cobra coming out and getting hold.” Spacey called the allegation “madness” during Thursday’s testimony. He stuck to his story during his second day, denying that groping men was his “trademark” pickup move.
Kevin Spacey, left, arrives at court on Friday for his second day on the stand. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
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The actor claimed one victim’s alleged encounter was “pure fantasy” while maintaining two others were consensual. The fourth allegation he seemingly accepted, explaining that he made a “clumsy pass” after drinking heavily one night.
Spacey first faced allegations of sexual misconduct when actor Anthony Rapp came forward in 2017. Rapp accused Spacey of assaulting him at a party in the 1980s. Spacey was found not liable in Rapp’s civil case against him.
Following Rapp’s claim, more men came forward with accusations against Spacey, and he was booted from the Netflix show “House of Cards.”
Spacey returned to the screen with roles in Italian director Franco Nero’s “The Man Who Drew God,” the biopic “Once Upon a Time in Croatia” and the film “Peter Five Eight.”
Kevin Spacey faces 12 charges stemming from allegations involving four different men. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
