Double Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey 'humbled' as he's tearfully cleared of all sex assault charges
26 July 2023, 15:47 | Updated: 26 July 2023, 16:36
Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men following a trial at Southwark Crown Court.
Following a trial he was cleared of all nine charges he faced, following three days of deliberations by the jury.
After being cleared, the actor said: "I imagine that many of you can understand that there is a lot for me to process."
"But I would like to say that I am 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 and I am humbled by the outcome today."
He told the trial that he had been falsely accused by men who were either out for money or confused about their own sexuality.
He insisted having “promiscuous” one-night stands “doesn’t make me a bad person”.
As the verdict was read out he started crying in the dock, before hugging his manager and legal team. He also tearfully thanked court staff before leaving the dock.
Spacey left the courtroom shortly after the verdicts and is understood to have left the court via a side entrance.
The star pleaded not guilty to seven charges of sexual assault, one charge of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity.
Spacey was cleared of carrying out offences mostly during his time as Artistic Director at The Old Vic theatre.
In a statement, a CPS spokesman said: "Following a thorough investigation by the Metropolitan Police, the CPS made the decision to charge Kevin Spacey with sexual offences.
"The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges.
"It is the role of the jury to consider the charges and we respect the decision of the court."
Two years ago an arbitrator ruled that the allegations surrounding him amounted to a breach of contract and he was ordered to pay £25.5m to the producers of House of Cards - which he was sacked from.
He lost an appeal to overturn the ruling last year.
A civil action involving an alleged grope of a teenager at a Massachusetts bar in 2016 was dropped, while another damages claim ended when the alleged victim, a massage therapist in Malibu, California, died.
Asked in court about his finances, Mr Spacey said: “I have got no money coming in and I have had a lot of legal bills… and I have not paid it all off and I still owe money.”
He was once one of Hollywood’s best known stars, recently for political drama House of Cards - and he earned the Oscar for American Beauty and The Usual Suspects.
But the allegations against him saw him sacked from House of Cards, and he was edited out of a Sir Ridley Scott film All The Money in the World.
