American actor Kevin Spacey experienced an emotional moment on his 64th birthday when a U.K. jury found him not guilty of nine charges, including sexual assault, indecent assault, and causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity. The trial took place over four and a half weeks at Southwark Crown Court in London.
The jury heard from four men who had made complaints against Spacey. One of them, who had frequent interactions with the actor during his time as creative director of the Old Vic theatre in the early 2000s, claimed that Spacey repeatedly grabbed him by the crotch, even causing a near-crash incident on a motorway. Spacey defended himself, stating that the relationships were consensual, but denied the near-crash incident, providing evidence to support his claim.
The second complaint was related to a charity event in 2005, where a man accused Spacey of making sexually aggressive comments before pinning him against a wall and grabbing his crotch. Spacey denied ever meeting the man at the event.
The most serious charge involved an allegation from 2008, in which a complainant claimed to have woken up in Spacey’s London apartment to find him performing oral sex. Spacey asserted that the encounter was consensual and presented telephone records contradicting the man’s account.
The fourth complaint was related to a party at Spacey’s rented house in Gloucestershire, where he allegedly made sexual advances towards another man. Spacey described the encounter as a drunken “clumsy pass” and attempted to apologize.
The jury ultimately dismissed each of the charges brought against Spacey. Originally facing 12 counts, the number was reduced to nine due to a legal technicality.
This verdict marks another legal victory for Spacey, who previously won a $40 million civil lawsuit brought against him by actor Anthony Rapp in October. Rapp had accused Spacey of sexual battery, but a New York jury dismissed the claim.