Kevin Spacey was acquitted on Wednesday of all charges of sexual assault and causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The actor had been facing a total of nine charges, which stemmed from allegations made by three men who claimed that Spacey had assaulted them between 2005 and 2013.
The trial, which took place at Southwark Crown Court in London, lasted four weeks. During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that Spacey had groped or sexually assaulted the three men. However, the defense argued that the allegations were false and that the men were motivated by financial gain.
The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for two days before returning their verdicts. Spacey was acquitted of all charges.
The 64-year-old actor reportedly wept after Justice Mark Wall told the Hollywood star that he was cleared of all charges and concluded that the “defendant may be discharged,” the Hollywood Reporter reported.
After the verdict was announced, Spacey released a statement saying that he was “grateful” for the decision of the jury. He also said that he was “looking forward to continuing his life and career.”
“I imagine that many of you can understand that there is a lot for me to process after what has happened today, 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 and I am humbled by the outcome today,” Spacey said, per People magazine.
“I also want to thank the staff inside this courthouse, the security and all those who took care of us every single day, my legal team, Evan Lowenstein and Lucy for being here every day,” he added.
The acquittal is a major victory for Spacey, who had been facing the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence if he had been convicted. However, the case has also reignited the debate about sexual assault and the #MeToo movement.
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
