A London jury has acquitted Kevin Spacey of sexual assault on accusations by four men that date back to 2001.
ADVERTISEMENTKevin Spacey has been found not guilty by a jury at a London court of committing historical sex offences against four men.
The 64-year-old Oscar-winner was acquitted today of nine charges, including sexual assault, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity.
Spacey broke down in tears as the not guilty on all counts verdict was announced. He stated that there was a lot for him to process after what happened today, adding that he was "enormously grateful" to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and facts carefully before they reached their decision.
"I am humbled by the outcome today," he added.
The actor, who turned 64 today, had pleaded not guilty to the nine charges.
It took the jury two days to come to their decision.
During the four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, jurors were told by prosecutors that the former House of Cards actor had aggressively groped three of the men in incidents between 2004 and 2013 in Britain, when he was working at London's Old Vic theatre.
The fourth man said Spacey performed oral sex on him while he was passed out in the Hollywood star's London apartment. This complaint involved a potential life sentence. The complainant had alleged that in 2008 he had ended up at Spacey’s London apartment where he fell asleep and woke up to find Spacey performing oral sex on him. Spacey said the encounter had been consensual and, in what may have been a crucial piece of evidence, provided telephone records that contradicted the man’s account.
The men came forward after an American actor accused Spacey of an incident of sexual misconduct as the #MeToo movement heated up in 2017.
A jury dismissed each of the counts relating to the men’s accounts.
These acquittals are another victory for Spacey, who won a $40 million civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp last October. Rapp had accused Spacey of sexual battery, but a New York jury dismissed the claim.
The verdict spares Spacey a possible prison term and gives him a shot at a career comeback.
