Kevin Spacey held back tears as he spoke for the first time having been cleared of a series of sex offences.
The actor was found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men between 2001 to 2013, after a four week trial at Southwark Crown Court.
Speaking outside the courthouse on Wednesday, Spacey said he was “humbled” by jury’s verdict.
Kevin Spacey was cleared of all charges— (PA)
“I imagine that many of you can understand that there is a lot for me to process,” the two-time Oscar winner said, as he was acquitted on his 64th birthday.
“But I would like to say that 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 and I am humbled by the outcome today,”
He ended his statement by thanking his legal team, and staff and security at the courthouse in south London, and left without taking any questions from reporters gathered outside.
The charges against Spacey included seven counts of sexual assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The House of Cards actor denied these allegations, calling them “madness” and a “stab in the back”.
The jurors rejected the prosecution’s claims Spacey had “aggressively” grabbed three men and performed oral sex on another while he was at the actor’s flat. Following the verdict being read, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said prosecutors “respect” their decision.
“The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges,” a spokesman said. “It is the role of the jury to consider the charges and we respect the decision of the court.”
The Oscar winner thanked the jury after the verdict— (Getty Images)
While the verdict was being read out, the defendant placed his hand on his chest, looked at the jury panel and mouthed “thank you” twice before they left the room.
During the trial, Spacey’s attorney Patrick Gibbs KC told jurors “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.”
While being cross-examined by Gibbs, the accusers – who are entitled to lifelong anonymity – denied they were either seeking financial gain, attempting to further their career or giving false accounts to the jury.
The actor appeared to hold back tears during the brief statement— (REUTERS)
During his testimony, Spacey explained the impact of the sexual assault allegations against him.
“My world exploded,” he said. “There was a rush to judgement and before the first question was asked or answered I lost my job, I lost my reputation, I lost everything in a matter of days.”
