Warning: This article deals with accounts of sexual assault and may be triggering for survivors of abuse.
A London jury has found US actor Kevin Spacey not guilty on sexual assault charges.
For the past few weeks, Spacey, 64, has been standing trial at Southwark Crown Court on nine charges of sexual offences against four men between 2004 and 2013 in Britain, where he worked from 2003 as artistic director of London's Old Vic theatre.
Three of the four accusers have said Spacey aggressively groped them. The fourth says Spacey sexually assaulted him while he was passed out in Spacey's flat.
After just over 12 hours of deliberation, the jury acquitted the two-time Oscar winner on Wednesday UK time by a majority. Spacey said he was "humbled" by the verdict.
Watch: Kevin Spacey leaves court following verdict. Post continues below.
"I imagine that many of you can understand that there's a lot for me to process after what has just happened today," he said addressing journalists, following the news.
"I am humbled by the outcome today. 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 their decision."
Spacey, tried under his full name Kevin Spacey Fowler, said in evidence that the case against him was weak, and that the incidents, if they had occurred at all, were consensual. He said he was promiscuous, a "big flirt" who had "casual, indiscriminate sexual encounters".
Here's everything we know about the case.
Was this Kevin Spacey's first time on trial?
No. In 2022, Kevin Spacey stood trial in a $40 million civil lawsuit made by Anthony Rapp who claimed that the actor molested him when he was a teenager in 1986.
In October 2022, a New York jury formally dismissed the case after finding that Anthony's lawyers failed to prove that Spacey “touched a sexual or intimate part” of Rapp.
Earlier in 2022, Kevin lost his appeal to pay a $31 million arbitration award to the producers of House of Cards. The actor starred in the popular series for the first five seasons before the show was cancelled in season six.
What were the charges against Spacey in this most recent trial?
Spacey faced 12 charges of sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. The allegations took place between 2001 and 2013. The four men who made the allegations were aged in their 20s and 30s at the time.
Many of the allegations related to the actor's time at London's The Old Vic Theatre, where he was artistic director from 2004 to 2015.
According to one complainant, he alleged that he experienced "inappropriate and unwelcome touching" on a number of occasions. Another accuser told authorities that Spacey "simply laughed" when he had pushed the actor away after Spacey allegedly grabbed him in 2005.
In one particularly disturbing claim, a complainant alleged that Spacey invited them to his home following an audition. After the complainant fell asleep, the prosecution claimed, they awoke to find the actor sexually assaulting him.
Kevin Spacey has previously pleaded not guilty to all charges.
What did we learn from the trial?
The court heard Spacey allegedly grabbed one of the complainants "like a cobra" in a West End theatre.
The court was played footage of the police interview with the alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, where he claimed Spacey had taken "no responsibility" for the incident, saying: "He just said 'I'm gay'."
Describing the alleged assault, the complainant said "he was like a cobra and grabbed with such force it was really painful" and "like a cobra coming out and getting hold".
"It was aggressive. It wasn't trying to be a seduction. It was angry."
Asked about Spacey's response, he said: "He sort of laughed" and he felt like he was "in the twilight zone".
Detailing his first impressions of the actor, the man, said: "My opinion when he arrived was he smelled of booze. He looked dishevelled. He did not look like he had been to sleep."
The man told the officer he was "taken aback" by the alleged crude comments made by the star, claiming: "It was very aggressive. I have never had anyone talk to me in that way."
The complainant said he didn't come forward because the Oscar-winning actor was seen as a "golden boy".
"He was a huge success," he said. "I put it in a box and carried on with my life but he had a detrimental effect on my life and my business."
During the trial, London jurors heard several references to Spacey's fellow actors and celebrities. The court also heard evidence from singer Elton John and his husband David Furnish, who gave evidence by video link from Monaco as part of Spacey's defence.
If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home.
- With AAP.
This article was originally published on July 3, 2023 and was updated on July 27, 2023.
Feature Image: Getty.
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