Renowned musician Elton John made a brief appearance on Monday as a defense witness in Kevin Spacey‘s sexual assault trial. The actor’s lawyer called upon John to challenge the credibility of a man who alleged that Spacey aggressively grabbed his crotch while driving to a summer ball hosted by the singer.
Appearing via video link from Monaco, Elton John testified in the London court after his husband, David Furnish, provided his own testimony, stating that Spacey did not attend their annual party at their Windsor home during the year the accuser claimed the incident occurred.
The alleged victim claimed that while driving Spacey to the White Tie & Tiara Ball in either 2004 or 2005, the actor forcefully grabbed him, almost causing an accident. Furnish supported Spacey’s assertion that he only attended the event in 2001, citing photographic evidence from each year’s party, which revealed Spacey’s presence only in the images from that particular year. Elton John confirmed that Spacey had attended the gala in the early 2000s, arriving via a private jet.
Furnish emphasized the significance of Spacey’s appearance, noting the excitement surrounding the presence of the Oscar-winning actor at the ball. Elton John recalled Spacey attending the event once and staying overnight at their house afterward. He also verified that Spacey had purchased a Mini Cooper at the auction held that night to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
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While the alleged victim conceded that he may have misremembered the specific year, he maintained that he could never forget such an incident, as it left him breathless and nearly caused a car crash. The timeline is of particular importance as the man testified that Spacey had engaged in inappropriate behavior with him over several years starting in the early 2000s. The incident in question was allegedly the final occurrence, after which the man threatened to hit Spacey and subsequently avoided him.
Spacey, in his defense, acknowledged that he and the man were friends and had engaged in some romantic contact. However, he respected the man’s assertion that he was straight and did not pursue further involvement. Spacey expressed his dismay upon learning that the man had lodged a complaint with the police, asserting that the man had “reimagined” consensual touching as something more sinister. The actor, 63, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including sexual and indecent assault, as well as causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. During two days of testimony, Spacey vehemently denied sexually assaulting three of the four accusers who described disturbing encounters between 2001 and 2013. He dismissed one man’s claims as “pure fantasy” and admitted to consensual encounters with two others, which they later regretted. He acknowledged the claims of a fourth man, describing his actions as a “clumsy pass” during a night of heavy drinking, while contesting the characterization of “crotch-grabbing.”
Elton John’s appearance in court comes shortly after his farewell show in Stockholm, marking the end of his 50-year touring career. This is the second time Elton John and David Furnish have made courtroom appearances in London this year, as they were involved in a phone hacking lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper, alongside Prince Harry, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, and others. The case revolves around allegations of privacy violations through interception of voicemails and unauthorized surveillance methods employed by Associated Newspapers Ltd.
As Spacey’s trial continues, the testimonies of both Elton John and David Furnish shed light on the ongoing legal battle, providing insight into the events surrounding the allegations and raising questions about the credibility of the accuser’s claims.