Kevin Spacey trial; who is the lawyer defending Kevin Spacey at Southwark Crown Court, Patrick Gibbs KC?

The trial of Kevin Spacey began at Southwark Crown Court this morning with jurors involved in the case having been sworn in. Spacey, 63, is facing 12 counts of sexual offences allegedly between the years of 2001 and 2013 by four different men. Spacey has denied all the charges and pleaded not guilty in a pre-trial hearing earlier this year.

Today’s rendezvous in court was a short one compared to the ongoing trial between various clients and Mirror Group Newspapers, with the jurors being briefed about the details of the case they are about to adjudicate, with Friday set to be a busy day for both counsels as their opening arguments take place, with the court resuming the trial then.

In July 2022, Spacey also appeared at the Old Bailey and denied five allegations relating to three men - four counts of sexual assault and one of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. The alleged offences are said to have occurred between 2005 and 2013, which the ‘American Beauty’ actor once again pleaded not guilty to.

That hearing took place before the now well-documented civil trial between Kevin Spacey and actor Anthony Rapp, while both were relatively unknown actors in Broadway plays in the 1980s. In that trial, the jury sided with Spacey, with jurors at a federal court in New York deliberating for a little more than an hour before deciding that Rapp hadn't proven his allegations.

Spacey will be defended in this trial by Patrick Gibbs KC, while Christine Agnew KC and Shauna Ritchie are prosecuting with Mr Justice Wall the judge presiding over the case, set to last more than four weeks.

Who is Patrick Gibbs KC?

A member of Three Raymond Buildings Barristers, Patrick Gibbs KC is considered one of the leading lawyers in the UK in his field. He was a Star at the Bar for Chambers UK in 2020, Public Law Silk of the Year in the 2019 Legal 500 UK Awards and Crime Silk of the Year at the Chambers and Partners Bar Awards 2010.

Having studied at both Christ Church in Oxford and City University in London, Gibbs has been involved in some very notable cases throughout his career; he was involved in the Manchester Arena Inquiry in that took place between 2019 and 2022, representing the British Transport Police and it’s officers, advised significant individuals giving evidence in the Grenfell Tower inquiry and represented a uniformed officer charged with Murder of Dalian Atkinson following Taser discharge in the case of R vs M in 2021.

Patrick Gibbs also advised Guardian News and Media in a public inquiry into the culture and practices of the UK media during the Levenson inquiry in 2012, while also representing the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation at the inquest into the death of Alexander Litvinenko during the 2013 Litvinenko Inquest.