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Kevin Spacey attends court in Nantucket on indecent assault charge Kevin Spacey attends court in Nantucket on indecent assault charge
(35 minutes later)
At a minutes-long arraignment on the ritzy Massachusetts island of Nantucket on Monday, Kevin Spacey did not appear to utter a word as he appeared before a judge alongside his lawyers.At a minutes-long arraignment on the ritzy Massachusetts island of Nantucket on Monday, Kevin Spacey did not appear to utter a word as he appeared before a judge alongside his lawyers.
Kevin Spacey case brings attention to Nantucket – where many go to avoid spotlightKevin Spacey case brings attention to Nantucket – where many go to avoid spotlight
The 59-year-old Oscar-winning actor is accused of groping a then 18-year-old man at the Club Car restaurant and bar on the island, in 2016.The 59-year-old Oscar-winning actor is accused of groping a then 18-year-old man at the Club Car restaurant and bar on the island, in 2016.
The charge, of indecent assault and battery, is a felony. If convicted, Spacey would face a maximum of five years in prison. He would also have to register as a sex offender.The charge, of indecent assault and battery, is a felony. If convicted, Spacey would face a maximum of five years in prison. He would also have to register as a sex offender.
His lawyers entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and a pre-trial hearing was set for 4 March. Judge Thomas S Barrett said Spacey would not have to appear at that hearing, but that he must be available by phone during it. Spacey was also ordered to stay away from the alleged victim and his family.His lawyers entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and a pre-trial hearing was set for 4 March. Judge Thomas S Barrett said Spacey would not have to appear at that hearing, but that he must be available by phone during it. Spacey was also ordered to stay away from the alleged victim and his family.
The judge granted a request by Spacey’s attorneys to preserve the alleged victim’s cellphone data for six months after the date of the alleged assault. Spacey attorney Alan Jackson said there was data within that would be “likely exculpatory”.The judge granted a request by Spacey’s attorneys to preserve the alleged victim’s cellphone data for six months after the date of the alleged assault. Spacey attorney Alan Jackson said there was data within that would be “likely exculpatory”.
The arraignment brought a media frenzy to an island some of the world’s richest and most famous people retreat to in part because of the invisibility and anonymity it offers. It was standing-room only inside the island’s only courthouse as journalists and curious locals crowded into the small room. The arraignment brought a media frenzy to an island some of the world’s richest and most famous people retreat to in part because of the invisibility and anonymity it offers. Media trucks lined the street outside the courthouse before dawn and locals on the island, which teems with tourists in the summer but quiets down in the winter, drove by slowly, taking photos of reporters standing in line in the cold.
As he left, Spacey ignored questions shouted by the media and entered an SUV parked outside the courthouse. As he got into the vehicle, an onlooker shouted “Underwood 2020!” – a reference to the American president Spacey played on the Netflix series House of Cards. It was standing-room only inside the island’s only courthouse as journalists and curious locals crowded into the small room.
Kevin Spacey's creepy video looks like a cynical attempt at distraction | Michael Segalov After the short hearing, as he left, Spacey ignored questions shouted by the media and entered an SUV parked outside the courthouse. As he got into the vehicle, an onlooker shouted “Underwood 2020!” – a reference to the American president Spacey played on the Netflix series House of Cards.
After the charge was announced last month, Spacey released a video in which he said, in the voice of Frank Underwood: “I’m certainly not going to pay the price for the thing I didn’t do.” It was unclear whether he was referring to the Nantucket charge. Spacey has also faced other allegations.
Spacey had asked to skip the arraignment, saying his “presence [would] amplify the negative publicity already generated in connection with this case”. That request was denied.Spacey had asked to skip the arraignment, saying his “presence [would] amplify the negative publicity already generated in connection with this case”. That request was denied.
Sexual assault allegations were first publicly raised against Spacey in October 2017 by the actor Anthony Rapp, who said that when he was 14 and Spacey was 26, the older man made a sexual advance on him. Sexual assault allegations were first publicly raised against Spacey in October 2017, amid the first growth of the #MeToo movement, which then centered around allegations against former film producer Harvey Weinstein.
A month later Heather Unruh, formerly a prominent Boston TV news anchor, said her son had been groped by Spacey while working as a busboy at the Club Car restaurant. Heather Unruh, formerly a prominent Boston TV news anchor, tweeted then: “The #weinsteinscandal has emboldened me – #truth time. I was a Kevin Spacey fan until he assaulted a loved one. Time the dominoes fell.”
Mitchell Garabedian, the civil attorney representing the young man, said in a statement emailed to the Guardian: “By reporting the sexual assault, my client is a determined and encouraging voice for those victims not yet ready to report being sexually assaulted. My client is leading by example.” After that, the actor Anthony Rapp said that when he was 14 and Spacey was 26, the older man made a sexual advance. Spacey said he did not remember the alleged incident, but apologised for “deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour”.
Kevin Spacey's creepy video looks like a cynical attempt at distraction | Michael Segalov
A month later Unruh told reporters her son had been groped by Spacey while working as a busboy at the Club Car restaurant. Unruh said Spacey got her son drunk and then grabbed his genitals during the incident. She said her son left the restaurant when Spacey went to the bathroom.
On Monday Mitchell Garabedian, the civil attorney representing the young man, said in a statement emailed to the Guardian: “By reporting the sexual assault, my client is a determined and encouraging voice for those victims not yet ready to report being sexually assaulted. My client is leading by example.”
Some Nantucketers interviewed by reporters arrived on the island have been expressing their displeasure. To Bruce Percelay, publisher of Nantucket Magazine, the alleged incident involving Spacey and the young man was a violation of what Nantucket is all about.
“There’s a presumed safeness to this island unlike many places,” he told the Guardian on Saturday, two days before the court hearing and its attendant media circus. “You don’t expect violations like the one that was [allegedly] perpetrated by Kevin Spacey. It just doesn’t happen on Nantucket.
“This type of celebrity just doesn’t fit the ethos of Nantucket.”
Kevin SpaceyKevin Spacey
#MeToo movement#MeToo movement
US crimeUS crime
US televisionUS television
MassachusettsMassachusetts
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