Kevin Spacey, the two-time Oscar-winning actor known for his roles in film and television, including the series “House of Cards,” was found not guilty by a jury in England of nine counts of sexual assault.
Immediately after the verdict, Spacey left the courthouse—shaking hands with several jurors on the way and kissing two security guards on the cheek—and made a brief statement to a crowd of reporters waiting for him.
“I imagine many of you can understand that there is a lot for me to process,” he said. “I am immensely grateful to the jury for taking the time to examine all the evidence.”
“I am emotional about the outcome,” he added, before getting into a taxi.
Six years ago, allegations of inappropriate behavior began to surface against Spacey on both sides of the Atlantic.
During the nearly month-long trial in London, the court heard from four men who said Spacey sexually assaulted them between 2001 and 2013. For most of that time, the actor was the artistic director of the Old Vic theater, a prominent London theater.
One of the complainants in testimony to British police said Spacey touched him several times without his consent. He described incidents including one time, in 2004 or 2005, when the actor grabbed his genitals so hard that he almost veered off the road while driving.
During the trial, Spacey said the couple had a “perverse” but consensual relationship.
The trial in London was the latest in which Spacey emerged successfully. In 2022, a federal jury in Manhattan found Spacey not liable for sexual assault after actor Anthony Rapp filed a lawsuit accusing Spacey of climbing on top of him and making a sexual advance in 1986 when he was 14 years old.
But what Wednesday’s (26) verdict will mean for Spacey’s career is not immediately clear. In June, Spacey said in an interview with Zeit Magazin, a German magazine, that he intended to return to acting after the trial. “I know there are people now who are ready to hire me the moment I am acquitted of these charges,” he said.
Source: The New York Times