An investigation by The Old Vic theatre in London has uncovered 20 instances of alleged sexual misconduct at the hands of Kevin Spacey.

Overnight the performance space, where Spacey was the artistic director between 2004 and 2015, released the findings of the investigation it carried out after a stream of people accused the House Of Cards actor of sexual harassment.

“On 31 October 2017, The Old Vic engaged an external law firm, Lewis Silkin, to undertake the investigation with a remit to look into the claims made in the media and elsewhere,” the statement read.

“This investigation concluded that there have been 20 personal allegations of incidents relating to The Old Vic ranging from 1995 to 2013, with the majority (all but two) falling before 2009.”

The statement said in all but one case the person affected did not  report the incident, and blamed this on Spacey’s high level of fame and influence.

“The Old Vic was in a unique position of having a Hollywood star at the helm around whom existed a cult of personality.

“The investigation found that his stardom and status at The Old Vic may have prevented people, and in particular junior staff or young actors, from feeling that they could speak up or raise a hand for help.”

The statement said the theatre intends to “build on existing practices and procedures to ensure that the theatre fulfils its duty of care to all who work with the organisation.”

“I have genuine and deep sympathy for all those who have come forward and said they were hurt in some way by my predecessor’s actions,” Matthew Warchus, the current Artistic Director said, adding the claims have been a “shock” and “disturbing”.

Spacey is yet to comment on The Old Vic’s investigation.

The 20 new accusations follow at least 15 people who say Spacey displayed inappropriate sexual behaviour towards them. The claims span more than 30 years.

The disgraced actor is understood to be at a sex addiction treatment facility in the US, where Harvey Weinstein is also reportedly seeking treatment.