London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 31, 2025

UK seeking return of Kevin Spacey from US to face sexual assault charges

UK seeking return of Kevin Spacey from US to face sexual assault charges

Exclusive: Formal extradition is to be pursued if actor fails to come back to the country voluntarily
British authorities are pursuing the return of Kevin Spacey from the US to face sexual assault charges.

An official familiar with the process told the Guardian the UK would seek the actor’s formal extradition unless he decided to come back voluntarily.

The international criminality directorate, a special Home Office unit, will act on behalf of police and prosecutors. Experts in extradition say US police may soon be sent to find Spacey, 62, and detain him on behalf of British authorities.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced on Thursday that it had authorised four charges of sexual assault against Spacey relating to alleged attacks against three males between 2005 and 2013, after an investigation by the Metropolitan police.

Pursuing formal extradition could take many months. Nick Vamos, a former head of extradition at the CPS, said US Department of Justice officials would study papers sent from the UK. They would have to be satisfied there was “probable cause” the offences may have been committed. If so, police officers would be instructed to locate and detain Spacey.

“They will be under an obligation to arrest him,” Vamos said. “The US Department of Justice will task US marshals to find Mr Spacey and take him to a federal court. He always had the option of surrendering and not contesting extradition.”

Vamos, now in private practice, said Spacey could be extradited in weeks if he does not contest extradition and months if he does. He said the US system made it harder to resist an extradition request than in Britain.

He also said Spacey would have greater protections if he were formally extradited than if he simply flew back to the UK voluntarily. Only the charges agreed by a US court could be brought against him in Britain, for example.

Spacey’s return would not necessarily mean he had to stay here for the months or years the case might take to get to court, Vamos said. He could be granted permission to return to the US to work as long as a British court believed promises given that he would return to face trial.

“If he comes back to the UK he could get a bail package that allows him to return to the US,” Vamos said.

Spacey cannot be formally be charged until he returns to Britain, but British police have said the charges relate to alleged attacks against three males in London and Gloucestershire.

Two are alleged to involve a man now aged in his 40s in March 2005, and another a man who is now in his 30s in August 2008. Spacey is also alleged to have caused the latter to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. These alleged attacks all took place in London. The actor is also alleged to have sexually assaulted a male now in his 30s in Gloucestershire in April 2013.

Spacey was artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London from 2004 to 2015, following acclaim and awards for an acting career during which he was hailed as one of the most skilled actors of his generation.

He won a best supporting actor for his role as Roger “Verbal” Kint in the Usual Suspects in 1996, and four years later won best actor for his lead role in American Beauty. He also starred in acclaimed films such as LA Confidential and went on the make the political drama House of Cards for Netflix.

Spacey has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
×