Elton John testifies for the defense in Kevin Spacey’s sexual assault trial

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LONDON (AP) — Elton John testified Monday for the defense at Kevin Spacey ‘s sexual assault trial as the actor’s lawyer attempted to discredit a man who claimed the Oscar winner aggressively grabbed his crotch in a car on the way to the singer’s house.

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John appeared remotely from Monaco to testify after his husband, David Furnish, said Spacey only once attended the gala ball the singer held for nearly 20 years at his Windsor home.

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One of the alleged victims accused Spacey of aggressively grabbing his crotch while he was driving with him to the gala in 2004 or 2005.

Spacey testified that he only attended the event in 2001. Furnish said he had checked photographs taken of all the guests and Spacey had only attended that one year.

John said Spacey spent the night at their house after the ball the one time he attended. He also confirmed that Spacey bought a Mini Cooper at the auction held that night for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

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.

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The two-time Academy Award winner insisted over two days of testimony last week 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.

Spacey dismissed one man’s fondling claims as “pure fantasy” and said he shared consensual encounters with two others who later regretted it. He accepted the claims of a fourth man, saying he had made a “clumsy pass” during a night of heavy drinking, but he took exception to the “crotch-grabbing” characterization.

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