26 July 2023 , 13:56
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Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey has been dramatically cleared of multiple sex assault charges on his 64th birthday.
The two-time Academy Award winner sobbed in the dock as not guilty verdicts were read out to nine charges involving four younger men.
Jurors at Southwark Crown Court took 12 hours and 26 minutes to clear the House of Cards star following a four week trial.
As Kevin exited the court today following the verdict, he was photographed hugging security staff outside the London court.
Speaking outside Southwark Crown Court, Oscar-winning actor Spacey said he was “humbled” by a jury’s decision to clear him of nine sex offences on Wednesday and after he was cleared, he hugged his legal team.
Kevin Spacey denies seven sex offences as he appears in court via video link
The prosecution had accused the actor of being a “sexual bully” who “aggressively” grabbed other men by the crotch in a series of alleged assaults from 2001 to 2013.
Kevin Spacey found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men following trial (Wiktor Szymanowicz/REX/Shutterstock)One aspiring actor also alleged he awoke to find the American Beauty actor on his knees performing a sex act on him without his consent, following an evening of drinking and smoking at Spacey’s £2.8million Waterloo apartment.
But Spacey, who was the artistic director at The Old Vic theatre in London between 2003 and 2015, insisted the sex act was consensual.
He admitted being “big flirt” but denied abusing his power and influence as the “golden boy” of the London theatre scene to grope men.
He also admitted to engaging in casual sexual encounters, but told the jury: “It doesn’t make me a bad person.”
Patrick Gibbs KC, defending, told the jury the actor was "tried by social media" and "cancelled" after he was first accused of sexual assaults in the media in the US in 2017.
Kevin Spacey wipes tears from his eyes as he found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men at Southwark Crown Court, London (PA)The star told the court his “world exploded” when allegations first surfaced and accused one complainant of fabricating his story for “money, money and then money”.
Two of the four men who accused the star are currently pursuing civil claims against the actor for damages, the court heard.
Giving evidence, he recalled the moment - at the height of the MeToo movement - a 2017 Buzzfeed News article first reported separate allegations made by US actor Anthony Rapp, which also prompted Spacey to come out as gay in a public statement.
Rapp sued Spacey for $40million over the alleged incident dating back to 1986, but Spacey was cleared in a civil trial in New York last year.
Kevin Spacey gets Lifetime Achievement Award as he awaits trial for sex crimes
Giving evidence, Spacey told the court: “There was a rush to judgement 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.”
He said all his professional contracts had been abandoned and no acting work has aired since 2017, while he faces mounting debts from legal bills.
The House of Cards star said he was left “crushed” by accusations he repeatedly grabbed the crotch of an acquaintance in the early 2000s.
Spacey told the court when he was told of his complaint: “I was crushed. I never thought that the [person] I knew would, I don’t know 20 years later, stab me in the back.”
He admitted touching the man, but insisted it was consensual, adding: “It didn’t happen in a violent, aggressive, painful way. It was gentle and it was touching and it was, in my mind, romantic.”
Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish also gave evidence to support Spacey’s claim that he could not have assaulted the complainant on the way to a showbiz ball at their Windsor home in 2004 or 2005, telling the court he had only attended the annual fundraiser once in 2001.
Spacey also admitted performing oral sex another complainant, an aspiring actor who wrote to him for advice and mentoring, but said the encounter was consensual.
Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey has been dramatically cleared of multiple sex assault charges on his 64th birthday (Wiktor Szymanowicz/REX/Shutterstock)The complainant told Southwark Crown Court that he had been “starstruck” to meet the Oscar winner and be invited to his flat, but he soon felt woozy and “conked out”.
However Spacey told the jury: “We had a consensual and I believe very nice and lovely evening.”
The star also dismissed a third complaint that he subjected a man to verbal abuse before grabbing his crotch at a showbiz theatre event as “madness”.
“I never said any of the things that he claims I said to him,” he said. “I never have to anyone in my life.”
He admitted it was "entirely possible" that he made a "clumsy pass" at a man who said he grabbed his crotch following a night of drinking in the Cotswolds, but denied assault.
The Usual Suspects actor told jurors: "We all had some drinks...I made a pass and I'm only happy that he testified that the moment he told me he was not interested I stopped."
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999