A jury in the United Kingdom has found American actor Kevin Spacey not guilty of all nine counts of sexual assault against him.
The BBC reported that Spacey, 63, appeared emotional and began crying as the last of the verdicts were read.
Earlier this month, Spacey testified in his own defense during the trial’s four weeks, describing the encounters he had with the men accusing him as intimate and consensual, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
He initially faced 12 counts, but three of them were dismissed.
Kevin Spacey spoke to press after being cleared of all sexual assault charges in the U.K. "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 the decision." https://t.co/zmP0695pDp pic.twitter.com/LBRPvhilFP
— Variety (@Variety) July 26, 2023
Spacey has faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, including assault, since a 2017 accusation by actor Anthony Rapp and 15 other men cost him his job on the Netflix series “House of Cards.” None of the other accusations have come to fruition, but Rapp filed a lawsuit against Spacey in 2020. A jury, however, found Spacey not liable last year.
Spacey and his production companies, M. Profitt Productions and Trigger Street Productions, were ordered to pay $31 million to the producers of “House of Cards” for violations of its sexual harassment policy.
The London jury deliberated for a little more than 12 hours before returning their verdicts, the BBC said.
He spoke briefly to reporters, saying he was “enormously grateful” that the jury weighed all the facts carefully before reaching a decision.
“I am humbled by the outcome today,” he said.
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[Featured image: Actor Kevin Spacey arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London on July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)]
