Welp, Kevin Spacey now has one less thing to worry about… This Wednesday, the actor was found NOT guilty of sexually assaulting four men in his high-profile U.K. case.
The 64-year-old who stood trial under his full name, Kevin Spacey Fowler, was found not guilty of nine sexual offences against four men in their 20s and 30s, between 2004 and 2013. As previously reported, three men accused the Oscar winner of aggressively groping their crotches. A fourth, who was an aspiring actor seeking mentorship, said he was woken up by the actor performing oral sex on him after going to Spacey’s London apartment for a beer and passed out.
Prosecutor Christine Agnew KC had accused Spacey of being a “sexual bully” who exploited his fame and power to abuse the complainants. The men came forward after an American actor accused Spacey of an incident of sexual misconduct amid the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017. However, Spacey denied these allegations and even said he was a “big flirt” who had consensual hook-ups with men and whose only misstep was touching a man’s groin while making a “clumsy pass.” Meanwhile, defense lawyer Patrick Gibbs called the three accusers liars. He accused most of them of hopping on a “bandwagon” of complaints in the hope of striking it rich.
“My world exploded,” Spacey testified. “There was a rush to judgment and before the first question was asked or answered I lost my job, I lost my reputation, I lost everything in a matter of days.”
Looks like Kevin Spacey was convincing enough while telling his side as the jurors reached a verdict after 12 hours and 26 minutes of deliberating, and after being given a majority direction by the judge. The judge, Mr. Justice Mark Wall, praised the lawyers in the case and said: “The defendant may be discharged.” Meanwhile, an emotional Spacey put his hand on his chest and looked to the jurors, and mouthed: “Thank you, thank you.”
In a statement to the press, after the trial wrapped, Spacey said: “I imagine that many of you can understand that there’s a lot for me to process after what has just happened today. 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 the decision. And I am humbled by the outcome today. 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 … for being here every day and that’s all I have to say for the moment. Thank you very much.”
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
RELATED: Kevin Spacey Speaks Out About His “Painful” Journey Following Sexual Assault Allegations
This is not Spacey’s first legal win. Last year, a New York jury quickly cleared Spacey in a $40 million lawsuit by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp on allegations dating back three decades.