Shock verdict in Kevin Spacey sex assault trial

Hollywood star Kevin Spacey broke down in tears as a jury delivered its decision on a string of sexual assault charges. See the video.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 26: Kevin Spacey looks on after leaving court at Getty Images

Hollywood star Kevin Spacey said he was “grateful” and “humbled” after a jury cleared him of all charges in his UK sexual assault trial.

In a stunning verdict in one of the most high-profile cases of the #MeToo era, Spacey wiped away tears and mouthed “thank you” after jurors found him not guilty of assaulting four men while he was director of London’s Old Vic theatre between 2001 and 2013.

Speaking outside Southwark Crown Court, Spacey said he was “humbled by the outcome” that was delivered on his 64th birthday after more than 12 hours of deliberations over two days.

Kevin Spacey faces the media after being cleared of sexual assault charges. Picture: Getty Images

It is a complete victory for the besieged double-Oscar winner, who faced a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, less than a year after he won a $40m lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp in New York, and four years after prosecutors dropped charges in the US state of Massachusetts.

“I imagine that many of you can understand that there’s a lot for me to process after what has just happened today,” he said with a wobble in his throat.

“But I would like to say that I’m enormously 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.”

Spacey was found not guilty on all nine charges relating to four complaints that included seven counts of sexual assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. He was originally charged with 12 counts before one was added and four were dropped during the trial on technical grounds.

Three of the men accused Spacey of aggressively grabbing their crotches with a “signature move” like a cobra.

A fourth, an aspiring actor, claimed he awoke to Spacey performing oral sex after passing out at his London apartment.

Spacey said he may be a “big flirt” who may have made a “clumsy pass”, but that the most serious charge was a consensual act the young actor participated in “willingly”.

Dressed in a dark blue-grey suit with a red-orange patterned tie and pocket square, Spacey followed intently on the final day of his four-week trial. Throughout the testimony, Spacey took notes, teared up, and at one point chuckled at his star character witness, Sir Elton John.

Spacey has consistently denied any allegations of wrongdoing as “madness” ever since he became one of the first high-profile Hollywood actors to be ensnared by the #MeToo movement in 2017.

He was quickly dropped by his longtime talent agency, fired from Netflix’s first and biggest hit series House of Cards, and replaced by Christopher Plummer in the movie All the Money in the World.

Kevin Spacey arrives at Southwark Crown Court ahead of a jury delivering their verdict of not guilty. Picture: Getty Images

It was an immediate and catastrophic fall from the Hollywood A-list, where he had remained for two decades after winning Academy Awards for roles in The Usual Suspects, in 1996, and American Beauty, in 2000.

With major roles in blockbusters like Se7en and Superman Returns, and two Tony Awards plus a string of Emmys, he was brought into London’s Old Vic as theatre director from 2001 to 2013.

It was during and around this period that the four men alleged that Spacey was a “sexual bully” who used his position and power to humiliate and abuse them with no fear of consequences.

Defence barrister Patrick Gibbs KC successfully argued that the four accusers lied to take advantage of the #MeToo movement and that Spacey had been effectively tried and cancelled by social media before his day in court.

Kevin Spacey in 2003 with Sir Elton John, who was one of the actor’s high profile character witnesses. Picture: Supplied

“It’s not a crime to like sex, even if you’re famous and it’s not a crime to have sex, even if you’re famous, and it’s not a crime to have casual sex,” Mr Gibbs said in his closing argument.

“And it’s not a crime to have sex with someone of the same sex because it’s 2023 not 1823.”

Mr Gibbs added that false allegations “really do happen … especially where fame, money, sex, secrets, shame and sexual confusion are all in the mix”.

While Spacey hasn’t worked significantly since the allegations, aside from bit roles in minor productions, he told a German magazine last month that there were people “ready to hire” him the moment he was cleared of charges in London.

“The moment scrutiny is applied, these things fall apart. That’s what happened in the Rapp trial, and that’s what will happen in this case,” he said.

“In 10 years, it won’t mean anything. My work will live longer than I will, and that’s what will be remembered.”

Originally published as Shock verdict in Kevin Spacey sex assault trial