Kevin Spacey, renowned actor and Oscar winner, was found not guilty on Wednesday by a London court on charges of sexually assaulting four men. After more than 12 hours of deliberation, the jury acquitted Spacey of nine charges that were alleged to have occurred between 2004 and 2013 when he worked at London’s Old Vic theatre. The actor, who turned 64 on the same day, broke down in tears and mouthed “thank you” to the jurors before leaving the courtroom. Throughout the four-week trial, prosecutors painted Spacey as a “sexual bully” who aggressively groped three of the men and performed oral sex on the fourth while he was unconscious in Spacey’s London apartment.
During his testimony, Spacey, referred to in court as Kevin Spacey Fowler, argued that the case against him was weak and claimed that any incidents, if they occurred, were consensual. He described himself as promiscuous and a “big flirt,” engaging in casual and indiscriminate sexual encounters. Spacey further suggested that the accusers were motivated by financial gain, as three out of the four had filed civil lawsuits against him. He revealed that one of them had reached out to him seeking over $577,400. The actor also admitted to hiring private investigators to look into at least three of the men.
Spacey spoke about the impact of the allegations on his life, stating that his “world exploded” when he was first accused of sexual assault in 2017 by actor Anthony Rapp. Following the publication of an article by Buzzfeed that detailed Rapp’s allegations, Spacey claimed that there was a rush to judgment, leading to him losing his job and reputation. He was dropped from the TV drama “House of Cards” and removed from the movie “All the Money in the World” due to the accusations. Rapp had brought a civil lawsuit against Spacey but lost the case in 2022.
The trial included references to Spacey’s connections with other actors and celebrities, such as Val Kilmer and Judi Dench, with whom he played table tennis. Singer Elton John and his husband David Furnish also provided evidence as part of Spacey’s defense. Spacey’s lawyer, Patrick Gibbs, argued that liking and engaging in consensual sex, even as a famous person, was not a crime in modern times.
This high-profile trial drew significant media attention as it involved a prominent Hollywood star facing serious allegations of sexual assault. However, the jury’s verdict delivered a blow to the prosecution’s case, allowing Spacey to walk free.
