Kevin Spacey exploited a ‘huge power imbalance’ between himself and his victims to make them feel worthless, a court heard.
Oscar winner Spacey, 63, is accused of assaulting four men between 2001 and 2013 ‘for his own sexual gratification’.
Jurors heard the House of Cards star was a ‘sexual bully’ who delighted in making his victims feel ‘powerless and uncomfortable’.
In her closing speech, prosecutor Christine Agnew Casey told jurors: ‘What we say is not just strength in numbers.
‘Was it four separate people who first told their friends and family, then went to the police to tell them what happened and then came to court to give their accounts… You have to decide why each one came. Individually.’
Kevin Spacey (pictured appearing at his trial today) exploited the ‘massive power imbalance’ between himself and his victims to make them feel worthless, a court heard.
Oscar winner Spacey, 63, is accused of assaulting four men between 2001 and 2013 ‘for his own sexual gratification’ (pictured is a court sketch of Spacey)
Ms Agnew said: ‘Are they motivated by “money, money and money” as you say dramatically by this defendant? Or were they just enough?
‘Have they decided that they are no longer ready to be the secret-keeper of someone who treated them so badly all those years ago, who sexually abused them?’
Ms Agnew reminded the judges that the ‘spotlight’ was present throughout the case. He said: ‘This is the trial of the defendant, not the complainant.
‘Consider how they position themselves in coming to the police and appearing in court.
‘As you might think, it is no small or trivial matter for anyone to come to court.
‘Reporting such crimes is difficult for all parties involved. The glare of the spotlight, you might think, puts an extra burden on them.
‘And it’s not just them who give their evidence, but their friends and family – they’re under the same spotlight.
‘Shaming or embarrassing loved ones for not encouraging them to talk.’
All the alleged crimes took place before the MeToo movement, Ms Agnew said: ‘It was, even up until 2013, a different time.
Spacey (right) arrives at Southwark Crown Court as the prosecution make their closing arguments in his trial today
Jurors heard the House of Cards star (pictured right) was a ‘sexual bully’ who delighted in making his victims feel ‘powerless and uncomfortable’
‘Mr Spacey Fowler was and is a powerful man. He was so famous, who would believe their words?
‘You hear many witnesses say that, when they considered it, their lives would have been ruined.
‘You heard that it might be a passing seizure of the crotch.
‘It’s not. It’s a violation of their bodily autonomy, it makes them feel small, it makes them feel diminished, it makes them feel worthless.’
Ms Agnew said: ‘Mr Spacey returned to this country to face Fowler’s trial – you would think he had little choice.
‘The charges were brought, he basically had to stand up or shut up.
‘I said in the beginning not to be star struck. I hope you’ll agree with us, coming to court every day becomes like going to work.
‘You are here to weigh the evidence in this case.
‘It doesn’t matter who that person is, who gets in the witness box, you decide what to do with the accused, just as you decide what to do with the accusers.’
Prosecutors said Spacey was a ‘patron of the arts’ and a ‘highly celebrated and acclaimed actor’ who was ‘kind to everyone he wanted to be kind to’. But he added: ‘History is full of those who chose to be kind to some and not to others.’
Prosecutor Christine Agnew Casey delivers her closing arguments in the trial of US actor Kevin Spacey (pictured arriving in court on Wednesday)
Referring to Spacey’s evidence, Ms Agnew told the jury that the actor was ‘basically trying to tell you how to do the job that you have to do in this court.
‘You decide whether these people have jumped on a bandwagon, if such a bandwagon exists, whether that crutch possession was just a coincidence or what happened.
‘It’s a coincidence [all the complainants] Talk about it in such a unique way.
‘I asked him (Spacey) if he felt it [crotch grabbing] was an appropriate first step. He admitted that it wasn’t.
‘How could this be an appropriate first step? It’s not right.’
He added: ‘Four men, strangers to each other, each make a series of allegations against the other.
‘And you must decide, ladies and gentlemen, why and how.’
Earlier, judge Mr Justice Wall instructed the jury to ‘strike through’ four counts of indecent assault against Spacey’s first accuser on a technicality.
It means the Hollywood star has denied five sex offenses against his first accuser.
Justice Wall told the judges: ‘You will not be asked to return a verdict on any of these counts.’
Earlier, judge Mr Justice Wall instructed the jury to ‘strike through’ four counts of indecent assault against Spacey’s first accuser on a technicality. It means the Hollywood star (centre) has denied five sex offenses against his first accuser
The man claims he was assaulted ‘a good dozen times’ by Spacey and the incident took place in a car en route to one of Elton John’s £1m ‘white tie and tiara’ balls in the early 2000s.
Spacey has now pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexually assaulting a person without consent and one count of engaging in sexual activity against the first accused, between 1 January 2001 and 24 June 2005.
The double Oscar winner, 63, also denies two counts of sexually assaulting a second man on 20 March 2005 during a dress rehearsal for a charity event.
He also denies sexually assaulting an aspiring actor and forcing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity between 1 August 2008 and 31 August 2008 at his Waterloo apartment.
Spacey has denied sexually assaulting a fourth complainant on 1 April 2013 at his luxury holiday home in the Cotswolds.
He is said to have assaulted four men between 2001 and 2013 ‘for his own sexual gratification’.
Jurors heard the star was a ‘sexual bully’ who delighted in making his victims feel ‘powerless and uncomfortable’.
Southwark Crown Court heard Spacey committed the offenses by grabbing, squeezing and touching the genitals and buttocks of four of his victims over their clothing.
He has now denied a total of nine charges: seven of sexual assault, one of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and one of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Spacey starred in Glengarry Glenn Ross, Seven, LA Confidential and Baby Driver. He also starred in the Netflix series House of Cards.
The trial continues.
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