Kevin Spacey Breaks Down in Tears After Sexual Assault Trial Reaches Verdict
Kevin Spacey was found not guilty on all 12 sexual assault charges — including nine counts of sexual assault, indecent assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without their consent.
The House of Cards actor broke down in tears when the verdict was announced upon the Wednesday, July 26, conclusion of a four-week trial in the U.K., which just so happened to be his 64th birthday.
The decision comes after a two-day debate between jury members at Southwark Crown Court in London, according to a news publication.
The serious charges against Spacey were made by four unnamed men who alleged the assaults occurred between 2001 and 2013 while the American Beauty star was working at the Old Vic theater located in England's capital as the artistic director.
The head of Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime Division, Rosemary Ainslie, formally charged Spacey in May 2022, as OK! previously reported.
"The CPS has authorized criminal charges against Kevin Spacey for four counts of sexual assault against three men," the statement announced last year. "He has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The charges follow a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation."
While Spacey was initially charged with 12 counts of sexual assault and an additional addendum to one of the counts, the charges were minimized to nine last week due to "legal technicality," according to the news outlet.
One of the men — whose names have all remained private for legal reasons — accused Spacey of repeatedly grabbing him by his private parts in the early 2000s at the Old Vic theater.
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The man detailed a specific time Spacey allegedly grabbed his crotch while the individual was driving a vehicle, claiming it almost caused him to drive off of the road. Spacey denied the incident entirely and insisted he had a "consensual" relationship with all four men that sometimes involved intimate touching.
The second male accused Spacey of pinning him against the wall at a charity event in 2005 and grabbing his private area after spewing numerous sexually aggressive comments throughout the night, however, the Seven actor denied ever meeting the man at the event in the first place.
Spacey's most serious charge, which could have resulted in a potential life sentence if he was found guilty, involved a third man who claimed he fell asleep or was somehow forced unconscious inside of Spacey's London apartment in 2008.
The man alleged that he woke up to Spacey performing non-consensual intercourse with the person's mouth. During the trial, Spacey provided telephone records proving the man's account wrong, as the actor said the sexual act was consensual.
Complaint No. 4 took place at a party inside of a house rented by Spacey in Gloucestershire. A man allegedly met Spacey at a pub before heading back to the vacation property with the actor and a group of people, and Spacey allegedly started kissing his neck and grabbing his private parts before telling the man to "be cool, be cool."
Spacey later labeled the incident a drunken "clumsy pass" and apologized for the uncomfortable encounter.
Variety reported Spacey's not guilty verdict.