Actor Kevin Spacey is a free man today, as the jury cleared him of all charges in his sex crimes trial going on in London.
The “House of Cards” actor was teary-eyed as he was found not guilty on all counts of sexual assault as well as several other charges.
Kevin Spacey Cries After Being Found Not Guilty
Spacey was facing nine charges, including sexual assault, alleged to have been committed between 2001 and 2013, with charges coming from four different accusers.
After debating for 12 hours and 26 minutes, the jury panel acquitted Spacey of all seven counts of sexual assault as well as one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. The last charge was of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
After the jury announced the not-guilty verdict, nine times over, Spacey started crying in the dock. As BBC reports, earlier he was smiling and chatting with the security guards but once the jury came to the fore, he became pensive before becoming overcome.
Spacey hugged his manager and legal team, still teary, and thanked the court staff for everything they had done. Spacey had been shunned by Hollywood ever since his accusers joined the MeToo movement. Most of his ongoing shows and roles were canceled and he quickly became persona non grata.
However Spacey always maintained his innocence, refuting all sexual abuse and molestation charges, and it seems now, his name has been cleared, at least by a court of law. Meanwhile, his defense claimed that it was done because Spacey was famous, hinting at a shakedown scam.
Cleared On All Charges On 64th Birthday
Spacey, cleared of all nine offenses incidentally turns 64 today. After being let out of the glass dock and a free and innocent man, Spacey hugged his legal team, still teary-eyed over it all.
An Oscar winner, his fall from grace came as a shock to most of his colleagues and co-workers in Hollywood, and he was given the cold shoulder pretty quickly by all. That said, despite all the travails, the actor had promised, to the media as well, that he would return to England to defend himself and clear his name, and he’s done that.
Spacey had always called the case weak and stated many times that his accusers were lying or were perhaps, after money. In one case, he admitted that he might have mistakenly made a drunken pass. Now, all that he’s said seems to be the truth, given that the jury agrees with him.
Meanwhile, the four complainants remain unnamed as is the law in the UK. Anyone who alleges that they are the victim of a sexual offense, proven or not, is automatically legally entitled to lifelong anonymity in Great Britain and so the media shall never know the name of the men who accused Spacey, given that he’s proven to be an innocent man.
The question remains, now that Spacey has been absolved, will Hollywood welcome him with open arms? Will he want to go back to his career as he stands vindicated?
Kevin Spacey Feels Humbled By The Outcome
Kevin Spacey gave a statement to the press, saying there’s a lot for him to process after what has happened today. He is enormously grateful to the jury and added, “I am humbled by the outcome today.”
Spacey had always denied using his power as an A-lister to get people into bed claiming he had only tried to help the others, calling the allegations a “stab in the back.” Meanwhile, the prosecution claimed that Space had left the four complainants feeling “small, diminished, and worthless.”
Spacey’s legal team turned the accusations around, with defense barrister Patrick Gibbs KC saying that Spacey had been “tried by social media.” Gibbs also said that three of the four accusers had lied and done so “for reasons which, ultimately, will only ever be known to themselves”. As far as the fourth complainant goes, Gibbs claimed he was intoxicated.
Gibbs made a statement to the jurors, saying, “It’s not a crime to like sex, even if you’re famous and it’s not a crime to have sex, even if you’re famous, and it’s not a crime to have casual sex. And it’s not a crime to have sex with someone of the same sex because it’s 2023, not 1823.”
It seems the jury resoundingly agreed. Happy Birthday, Kevin Spacey.
