Prosecutors drop charges in Kevin Spacey sexual assault case

Prosecutors in Massachusetts have dropped sexual assault charges against actor Kevin Spacey, citing “unavailability of the witness.” Spacey was facing a felony charge of indecent assault and battery.

Cape & Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe dropped the charges on Wednesday “due to the unavailability of the complaining witness.” The witness had previously alleged that Spacey plied him with alcoholic drinks and groped him three years ago at a bar, where he worked as a busboy. The witness was aged 18 at the time of the alleged incident.

The alleged victim also dropped a civil lawsuit against Spacey earlier this month, with his attorney offering no explanation. In both cases, Spacey’s defence lawyers argued that the victim deleted messages on his cell phone that would have exonerated the actor.

Spacey’s career dramatically collapsed in 2017 amid a litany of sexual misconduct allegations. Actor Anthony Rapp accused the ‘House of Cards’ star of making sexual advances on him when Rapp was 14 years old. Multiple other men then came forward with similar allegations.

Spacey attempted to counter the rising tide of public anger by apologizing to Rapp, and publicly announcing that he was coming out and choosing “to live as a gay man.” Nevertheless, Netflix severed its ties with Spacey, and the once-world famous actor has largely remained a Hollywood pariah since.

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