In a London court, Kevin Spacey faces over a dozen counts of sexual assault in what is going to be a weeks long case against him. The trial is set to begin this Friday. 

What charges will Spacey face?

The charges lobbied against the actor include sexual assault, indecent exposure, and an offense of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. These incidents are said to have happened over the course of eleven years, between 2001 and 2012.

The last charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Spacey, 63, has denied the allegations.

It was first revealed that charges were being brought against him last May, when prosecutors informed the media that Spacey was being accused of five different assaults (a total of twelve counts) between 2005 and 2013. 

Judge Mark Wall, who will be presiding over the case, told the members of the jury, “The defendant will be gratified that many of you know his name or have seen his films. This is a case which has attracted … and will continue to attract a lot of media coverage,” he continued. “You must try to avoid such coverage where you can.”

A typical jury in the British courts is made of twelve members. However this time, two additional members have been sworn in to serve as spares on the chance that a fellow juror must drop out.  

Since the first accusations of sexual misconduct surfaced against him in 2018, Kevin Spacey has largely stepped back from the public eye. 

He did manage to win a civil case in the United States in which he was accused of sexual abuse. The Manhattan court jury had determined that the accuser could not in fact prove that Spacey had sexually harassed him when he was just fourteen.