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

Kevin Spacey's lawyers enlisted the help of an A-list star Monday in his sexual assault trial, calling Elton John and his husband to cast doubt on one of the Oscar winner's accusers at the end of the defense case.

John appeared briefly in the London court by video link from Monaco after his husband, David Furnish, testified that Spacey did not attend the annual party at their Windsor home at the time that the accuser said he was attacked in a car.

One of the alleged victims said he was driving with Spacey to the White Tie & Tiara Ball in 2004 or 2005 when the actor grabbed his crotch so forcefully that he almost ran off the road.

Furnish supported Spacey's own testimony that the only year he had attended the event was 2001. Furnish said he had reviewed photographs taken at the party from 2001 to 2005 and Spacey only appeared in images that one year. He said all guests were photographed each year.

John, who was wearing yellow tinted glasses, a dark jacket and light blue open-collar shirt, said the actor attended the party once in the early 2000s and arrived after flying to England on a private jet.

Furnish said Spacey's appearance was a surprise and he remembered it because it was a big deal.

"He was an Oscar-winning actor and there was a lot of buzz and excitement that he was at the ball," said Furnish, who also testified from Monaco.

John said the actor spent the night at their house after the event. He also confirmed that Spacey bought a Mini Cooper at the auction held that night for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Spacey said he spent the most money "ever" on that model of car and he kept it in John's garage until he could pick it up later.

The alleged victim said he may have gotten the year wrong, but that he would not have forgotten the incident because it took his breath away and he was driving and almost crashed the car.

The timeline, however, is important because the man testified that Spacey had fondled him over several years beginning in the early 2000s. The incident was the final occasion, he said. He threatened to hit the actor and after that avoided him.

Spacey said the two were friends and they engaged in some romantic contact but the man was straight, so the actor respected his wishes not to go further. He said he was crushed when he learned the man had complained to police about him and said the man had "reimagined" what had been consensual touching.

Furnish said he was familiar with the accuser and described him as "charming," the same term Spacey used.  

Spacey took the stand Thursday for the first time during his U.K. trial, denying allegations against him by four men and offering his own version of events and relationships. The Hollywood actor stands accused by the men of sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.  

Spacey has pleaded not guilty to all 12 charges against him. The accusers, who have provided graphic testimony in the courtroom this week, cannot be named publicly under British law.  

Spacey's remarkable acting career largely came to an end in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp publicly accused him of sexual misconduct, but he fended off those accusations and sexual misconduct criminal charges in a 2019 case in Massachusetts.

As Spacey ended his testimony Thursday, the actor became emotional and reflected on how his career had come to an abrupt halt. 

"My world exploded," a tearful Spacey told the court, referring to the wake of the initial 2017 allegation leveled by Rapp that all but ended his award-winning career. "There was a rush to judgment and before the first question was asked or answered, I lost my job, I lost my reputation, I lost everything in a matter of days."