Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish have given evidence as defence witnesses in the trial of Kevin Spacey.
ADVERTISEMENTKevin Spacey 's lawyers enlisted the help of an A-list star on Monday in his sexual assault trial, calling Elton John and his husband David Furnish to cast doubt on one of the Oscar winner's accusers at the end of the defence case.
Sir Elton appeared briefly in the London court by video link from Monaco after his husband testified that Spacey did not attend the annual party at their Windsor home at the time that the accuser said he was attacked in a car.
One of the alleged victims said he was driving with Spacey to the White Tie & Tiara Ball in 2004 or 2005 when the actor grabbed his crotch so forcefully that he almost ran off the road.
Furnish supported Spacey's own testimony that the only year he had attended the event was 2001. Furnish said he had reviewed photographs taken at the party from 2001 to 2005 and Spacey only appeared in images that one year. He said all guests were photographed each year.
Furnish said Spacey’s appearance was a surprise and he remembered it because it was a big deal: “He was an Oscar-winning actor and there was a lot of buzz and excitement that he was at the ball.”
Elton John said the actor spent the night at their house after the event. He also confirmed that Spacey bought a Mini Cooper at the auction held that night for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
The alleged victim said he may have gotten the year wrong, but that he would not have forgotten the incident because it took his breath away and he was driving and almost crashed the car.
The timeline, however, is important because the man testified that Spacey had fondled him over several years beginning in the early 2000s.
Spacey said the two were friends and they engaged in some romantic contact but the man was straight, so the actor respected his wishes not to go further. He said he was crushed when he learned the man had complained to police about him and said the man had “reimagined” what had been consensual touching.
Furnish said he was familiar with the accuser and described him as “charming,” the same term Spacey used.
Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to a dozen charges that include sexual and indecent assault counts and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Over two days of testimony last week, the two-time Academy Award winner insisted that he never sexually assaulted three of the four accusers who described disturbing encounters between 2001 and 2013. The acts allegedly escalated from unwanted touching to aggressive fondling to one instance of performing oral sex act on an unconscious man.
Elton John was the final witness to testify in the trial that entered its fourth week in Southwark Crown Court.
The trial continues.
