Hollywood actor, Kevin Spacey broke down in tears after he was found ‘not guilty’ of charges related to his sexual assault scandal.
The House of Cards star was cleared of all nine charges filed against him by a UK jury on his 64th birthday. The jury deliberated for 12 hours over two and a half days before reaching their decision.
As the verdict was announced, Kevin put his hand on his chest, looked at the jurors, and mouthed “thank you” twice before they left the room. The court usher offered him a tissue, and after the dock was unlocked, he walked out of Southwark Crown Court as a free man.
Outside the court, Kevin told the media he was “grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts carefully before they reached their decision.”
After the trial’s conclusion, five of the jurors waited outside the courthouse to meet the actor in person, and after discussions with his manager, they were invited back inside. In a surprising move, Spacey thanked them and even made a brief bow with his arms crossed across his chest.
Throughout the trial, the jury heard from four men who had made complaints against Kevin Spacey. One of the complainants, who had frequent interactions with Spacey during his time as creative director of the Old Vic theater, accused the actor of inappropriate touching, even causing a near-crash incident on a motorway. Spacey denied these allegations, claiming a consensual relationship.
Another complaint involved a charity event in 2005, where a man accused Spacey of aggressive comments and assault. The third complaint, the most serious, involved an alleged incident at Spacey’s London apartment in 2008.
Spacey insisted it was consensual and provided evidence to counter the man’s account. The fourth complaint stemmed from a party at Spacey’s house, where he described the encounter as a drunken and apologetic “clumsy pass,” denying any sexual assault.
In the end, the jury dismissed all the counts related to these accounts, resulting in Spacey’s acquittal. Originally facing 12 counts, the charges were reduced to nine due to a legal technicality.
This marks another victory for Spacey, who previously won a $40 million civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp in October last year, where Rapp had accused him of sexual battery. A New York jury dismissed the claim against him.
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