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Elton John (in March)
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Max Mumby/Indigo / Getty Images
In the trial against Kevin Spacey, Elton John was called as a witness for the defense on Monday. Four men accuse Spacey of sexual assault and coercion on a dozen counts. One of the men, whose names are not mentioned in the trial, has testified that the two-time Oscar winner aggressively grabbed his crotch on his way to a party at Elton John's house. Elton John and his husband David Furnish have now been questioned separately about the circumstances of these allegations. Both were connected to the courtroom in London via video from Monaco.
According to the plaintiff, the incident allegedly occurred in 2004 or 2005 when he drove Spacey to a charity gala at John's house in Windsor, England, as a chauffeur. Both Spacey and Furnish disagreed with this account. Spacey testified that he attended the ball only once in 2001. Furnish confirmed this. He had checked the photos of all the guests: Spacey had only been there in this one year.
According to Elton John, Spacey spent the night after the ball at her house. He also confirmed that Spacey had bought a Mini Cooper at the auction held that evening for the Elton John Aids Foundation.
»Pure imagination«
Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to a dozen counts. The charges include sexual assault and coercion of sexual intercourse. Spacey insisted last week during his two-day testimony that he had never sexually assaulted three of the four accusers. The alleged actions are said to have increased, from unwanted touching to aggressive groping and, in one case, oral sex on an unconscious man.
Spacey dismissed the accusation of groping as "pure imagination" and said that sexual acts were consensual with two of the four men. However, the men might have regretted it later. He accepted a fourth man's claims that Spacey had approached him awkwardly. This occurred after heavy alcohol consumption on his part, Spacey said. He rejected the characterization as a grapscher.
hpi/AP