Following a trial in London, Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey was found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men.
The 63-year-old had denied nine accusations, including sexual assault, that he was accused of committing between 2001 and 2013.
During the trial at Southwark Crown Court in London, each of Spacey’s four accusers testified, characterizing him as a “vile sexual predator”, “slippery”, and “atrocious, despicable, disgusting”.
In a preliminary court hearing last month, Mr. Gibbs said his client “strenuously denies any and all criminality in this case”. (Valium) The American Beauty actor had described the allegations against him as “madness” and a “stab in the back” when giving evidence.
The actress had denied seven charges of sexual assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual behavior without their consent, and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without their consent.
Kevin Spacey who turned 64 today, sobbed as the jury cleared him of all nine charges
Justice Mark Wall sent jurors off on Monday to contemplate their conclusions before issuing a majority decision this afternoon.
The Oscar winner, who turned 64 today, sobbed as the jury cleared him of all nine charges after deliberating for 12 hours and 26 minutes.
Jurors dismissed the prosecution’s claims that Spacey “aggressively” grabbed three men by the crotch and performed a sex act on another man while he slept in his flat.
The complainants all denied pursuing financial gain, attempting to advance their careers, or delivering false stories to the jury when questioned by Spacey’s lawyer, Patrick Gibbs KC.
One complainant claimed during the trial that the actor “aggressively” grabbed his crotch while driving him to a lavish showbiz party given by Sir Elton John in the early 2000s.
Spacey admitted to jurors that he had “casual indiscriminate sexual encounters
Jurors were told that Spacey reportedly grasped another man’s crotch “like a cobra” after meeting him in a West End theatre in the mid-2000s after a “barrage of vile comments.”
The defendant was also accused of putting a “panicked” expression on his face after a third guy rejected an alleged sexual grab at an opulent villa in the Cotswolds where he was staying in the early 2010s.
An aspiring actor testified in court about an alleged event in the late 2000s in which “things went further” and he awoke to discover Spacey performing a sex act on him.
Spacey admitted to jurors that he had “casual indiscriminate sexual encounters,” but argued that one-night stands “doesn’t make me a bad person.”
In one of the incidences, he admitted to groping a man’s crotch but claimed it was a “clumsy pass” caused by interpreting the signals rather than a sexual assault.
Several notable names were referenced during the trial, including Rocket Man singer Sir Elton John, who was called as a defense witness.
Spacey also told jurors about staying in Harry Potter star Richard Harris’s son’s flat in the 1980s and gifting a ping pong set to Dame Judi Dench after they worked on a film together.
As the jury was dismissed, he placed his palm on his chest and sobbed “thank you” again before embracing his legal team.
Following the acquittals in the Kevin Spacey trial, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) stated that prosecutors “respect” the court’s judgment.
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 offenses.
“The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offense 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.”
