Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish have been called as defence witnesses in the trial of Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey.

Mr Furnish was first to give evidence over video link from Monaco on Monday morning, before Sir Elton was also called.

The defendant, standing trial under his full name Kevin Spacey Fowler, denies sex offences concerning four men, including sexual assault and indecent assault, which are alleged to have been committed between 2001 and 2013.

During the trial, jurors heard how Spacey stored “the most expensive” Mini Cooper “ever” in Sir Elton’s garage.

The actor explained he bid on the vehicle at an auction in the early 2000s and the Rocket Man singer “kindly” stored it for him.

Giving evidence last week, Spacey denied he is a sexual bully and labelled the prosecution’s case against him as “weak” – accusing one alleged victim of being after “money, money and then money”.

The 63-year-old told Southwark Crown Court he could have had sex “all the time” but found it hard to trust people because of his fame.

Over the course of the trial, each of Spacey’s accusers have given evidence – variously describing him as a “vile sexual predator”, “slippery” and “atrocious, despicable, disgusting”.