Kevin Spacey faces bombshell new sexual abuse claim involving iconic British theatre

Kevin Spacey has been hit with another sexual abuse claim 18 months after he was cleared of criminal charges in other sexual abuse cases. According to court filings, the defendant is named as Rauri Cannon, an actor who previously worked with Spacey, 64. Cannon – who waived his anonymity in the claim – is suing Mr Spacey at the High Court, as well as two organisations connected to the Old Vic Theatre in London.

There are few confirmed details about the case, according to MailOnline. The news comes less than two years after the Oscar-winner was found not guilty of sexual assault following a highly-publicised trial in London. Spacey stood trial at Southwark Crown Court in 2023 and was accused of nine charges of sexual assault and indecent assault, which are alleged to have been committed against four men between 2001 and 2013.

Spacey denied the charges. The House of Cards actor spoke outside the court following the verdict. A visibly emotional Spacey told reporters: ‘I imagine that many of you can understand that there’s a lot for me to process after what has just happened today. ‘But I would like to say that I am enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts carefully before they reach the decision and I am humbled by the outcome today.’.

One of the men described allegedly being grabbed ‘like a cobra’ during an incident with the Hollywood actor at a West End theatre show. The man told an officer he remembered ‘freezing and pushing his arm away’ when Spacey allegedly assaulted him, describing it as a ‘bizarre and horrible experience’. He also detailed the ‘barrage of vile comments’, telling the officer: ‘Maybe he enjoyed me being uncomfortable.’.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. Recalling the alleged assault, the complainant said ‘[Spacey] was like a cobra and grabbed with such force it was really painful’ and ‘like a cobra coming out and getting hold’. Another complainant alleged that Spacey began to attack him within two to three weeks of meeting him and said he was made to ‘feel uncomfortable’.

‘From the first two to three weeks he would start to try and get into my head about what my sexuality was like,’ the alleged victim said in a police interview. The man could be seen describing Spacey as a ‘slippery, snaky, difficult person’ and a ‘very mixed-up individual’. He continued: ‘He grabbed me, he grabbed me a good few times. He would squeeze my bum and would rub my legs.’. When questioned by Spacey’s lawyer, Patrick Gibbs KC, the men all denied either seeking financial gain, attempting to further their careers or giving false accounts to the jury.

Spacey gave testimony during the trial and said he felt ‘pressured’ to come out as gay after being accused of sexual misconduct in 2017. He spoke about the reaction to the allegations during the trial on Thursday, saying there was ‘a rush to judgement’. Last year, Spacey was the subject of Channel 4 documentary Spacey Unmasked, which featured 10 men who discussed their experiences with the actor. The contributors all claim to have been at the receiving end of inappropriate behaviour.

In response, Spacey did an interview about his ‘bad behaviour’ on Piers Morgan Uncensored. In the YouTube interview which Morgan, 59, has described as ‘astounding’ he directly asked Spacey what he constitutes as his ‘bad behaviour’. ‘Pushing the boundaries,’ he replied. ‘Being too handsy, touching someone sexually in a way that I didn’t know at the time they didn’t want.’. In response, Morgan stated: ‘People would say that is criminal, that if you grope people in a sexual way against their wishes, that is a crime.’.

‘I agree that the word “grope” is a very odd word. I personally, I have caressed people, I have been gentle with people, that is the way that I am. You’re making a pass at someone, you don’t want to be aggressive. ‘You want to be gentle. You want to see if they’re going to respond positively. I think the word itself is not a word that I associate with my experience,’ said Spacey. When asked if it was consensual, Spacey responded: ‘They should let you know they don’t want to do it so that you can understand it’s non-consensual and stop.’.

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