Kevin Spacey found not guilty of sexual assault charges

Actor Kevin Spacey has been cleared of all charges in his sexual assault trial.

The 63-year-old star was found not guilty by a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London on nine sexual offence charges, which related to four men between 2001 and 2013.

Following a four week trial, Spacey was acquitted of 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.

Speaking outside court, Spacey issued a short statement where he said the result is a “lot for [him] to process”.

He added he was “grateful” to the jury for “having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts” and “humbled” by the outcome.

After the not guilty verdicts were read out Spacey wiped away tears, before hugging his management team, thanking the court staff and leaving the building via a side exit to avoid the media.

The American Beauty actor, who appeared in court under his full name, Kevin Spacey Fowler, denied the allegations from the start.

During the trial, prosecutor Christine Agnew KC told jurors Spacey was a “sexual bully” who does not “respect personal boundaries or space” and “delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable”.

Agnew went on to say Spacey would “aggressively” grab the “crotch” area of the victims, adding: “On one occasion things went further than that.”

Spacey’s defence team, however, called the allegations “weak”.

Giving evidence, Spacey told the court at one point that his world “exploded” when the accusations arose.

An emotional Spacey said: “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,” he told jurors.

At another point, Spacey told jurors he was a “flirt”, but such “promiscuous” does not “make [him] a bad person.”

In a statement to the BBC, the Crown Prosecution Service said prosecutors in the case “respect” the court’s decision.

A spokesperson told the broadcaster: “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.”

An Oscar winning, Spacey won the prestigious gongs for his roles in The Usual Suspects and American Beauty. He also starred in House of Cards for five seasons before allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced in 2017, resulting in him being axed from the show my executives.

He received an honorary knighthood in 2015.