Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey pleaded not guilty and was told his trial would take place the following year.
The actor is charged with sexually assaulting three men more than ten years ago.
Spacey, 62, responded “not guilty” to each of the five charges at a hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey, while standing in the dock and speaking clearly.
Judge Mark Wall, who is presiding over the case, set the trial’s start date for June 6, 2023, and estimated that it would last three to four weeks. The Old Bailey, which hosts some of the most famous criminal trials in British history, is where the criminal trials are anticipated to take place.
The former “House of Cards” star, who oversaw London’s Old Vic theatre from 2004 to 2015, denied four counts of sexual assault and one count of encouraging another person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
The incidents allegedly occurred in London between March 2005 and August 2008, with one allegedly occurring in western England in April 2013. The victims are now in their 30s and 40s.
The actor’s attorneys had initially claimed that Spacey “strenuously denies” the accusations made against him.
After a preliminary hearing last month, Spacey, who is known to have homes in both the U.S. and London, was given bail and allowed to travel back to the country.
The actor was granted unconditional bail, but the judge extended it and announced that a new pretrial hearing would take place at the beginning of 2023.
After the 15-minute hearing was finished, the actor thanked the judge.
He was led into a chauffeur-driven car as he quietly left the court through a throng of photographers.
