Kevin Spacey Acquitted of Sexual Assault Charges in UK Trial

Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey broke down in tears on Wednesday as a U.K. jury found him not guilty of nine charges of sexual assault, indecent assault, and – the most serious charge – causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity.

This means that Spacey, who was also celebrating his 64th birthday on Wednesday, has been cleared of all charges against him in the U.K. It took the jury 12 hours over two and a half days to come to their decision.

As the final verdict was read out Spacey dissolved into tears. A court usher approached the glass dock at Southwark Crown Court in which the “House of Cards” actor has spent the last four and a half weeks at Southwark Crown Court in London fighting his case, and offered him a tissue, which he accepted.

After the dock was unlocked and he walked into the courtroom a free man, Spacey made a beeline for his manager, Evan Lowenstein, who supported him throughout the trial. He also hugged his legal team, comprised of barrister Patrick Gibbs QC and solicitor Oliver Schneider Sikorsky.

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.”

In an unusual move, after the trial’s conclusion five of the jurors waited outside the courthouse to see if they could meet the actor in person. After some discussions with his manager, the group – comprised of four men and one woman – walked back with him into the courthouse where Spacey thanked them and, at one point, made a brief bow towards them with his arms crossed across his chest.

During the high-profile trial at Southwark Crown Court, the jury heard from the four men who had made the complaints against the actor (none of the men can be named for legal reasons).

Each of Spacey’s four accusers has given evidence, variously describing him as a “vile sexual predator,” “slippery” and “atrocious, despicable, disgusting.”

Jurors have been told of alleged “aggressive” crotch grabs against three men, while a fourth accused the defendant of having drugged him and performed a sex act on him while he was asleep at his flat.

Under questioning from Spacey’s lawyer, the men all denied either seeking financial gain, attempting to further their careers, or giving false accounts to the jury.

Spacey himself labeled the allegations against him as “madness” and a “stab in the back.”

High-profile witnesses for the defense have included Elton John, David Furnish, and Jack Lemmon’s son Chris Lemmon.

A jury dismissed each of the counts relating to the men’s accounts.

Originally, Spacey was charged with 12 counts, plus an addendum to one of the counts, but these were reduced to nine last week due to a “legal technicality.”

The acquittals are yet another victory for Spacey, who won a $40 million civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp last October. Rapp had accused Spacey of sexual battery, which took place in 1986 but a New York jury dismissed the claim.