Kevin Spacey Formally Charged with Sexual Assault in the U.K.

Kevin Spacey, 62, is due in court after he was formally charged with sexual assault in the U.K.

The Metropolitan Police announced the news on Monday, revealing he is expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The Oscar winner is facing four counts of sexual assault and is also charged with “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.”

The alleged victims in the case are three men now in their 30s and 40s, and the incidents occurred between 2005 and 2013 in London and Gloucestershire.

The allegations coincide with the actor’s stint as the artistic director at the Old Vic theater in London, a post he held from 2003 to 2015.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced the charges last month, but Spacey could not be formally charged until he arrived in Britain.

After the CPS announcement, Spacey vowed that he would defend himself.

In a statement to ABC News’ “Good Morning America” in May, Spacey said, “While I am disappointed with their decision to move forward, I will voluntarily appear in the U.K. as soon as can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am confident will prove my innocence.”

Spacey has been largely out of the spotlight for several years following past sexual assault allegations. Anthony Rapp was the first person to go public with accusations against Spacey. In October 2017, Rapp alleged Spacey had assaulted him in 1986. Spacey issued an apology saying he didn't remember the incident. Rapp is suing Spacey, and CNN says that trial is expected to start in October. According to Deadline, Spacey “flatly denies” Rapp’s claims.

Spacey was also at the center of a sexual assault case in Massachusetts a few years ago, but the case was dropped in 2019.