Following a string of allegations and legal battles, former "House of Cards" star Kevin Spacey has officially been charged with four counts of sexual assault against three men, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Thursday.
British prosecutors added that Spacey had also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, according to CNN.
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The charges concern four alleged incidents in London, which took place in 2005 and 2008, and another incident in Gloucestershire, western England, which took place in 2013. The victim of the 2005 incidents is reportedly now in his 40s, while the victims of both the 2008 and 2013 incidents are now in their 30s, said London's Metropolitan Police.
Although the charges have been approved on Thursday, they cannot be applied on Spacey until he enters England or Wales, a CPS spokesperson also told CNN. At this time, Spacey is in neither of those countries.
"The charges follow a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan police in its investigation," said Rosemary Ainslie, the head of the CPS special crime division. "The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr. Spacey are active and that he has the right to a fair trial."
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Spacey is a two-time Oscar winner who took home a best supporting actor award for the 1995 film "The Usual Suspects" and a lead actor award for the 1999 movie "American Beauty." His acting career, however, came under fire in 2017, when fellow actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of sexually assaulting him at a party in the 1980s, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. Following the allegations, 15 other individuals came forward with similar accounts of abuse.
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