A London jury acquitted Kevin Spacey of sexual assault charges Wednesday.
The “House of Cards” actor, 64, was cleared at the conclusion of a four-week long trial that took place in London, beginning June 28. The Academy Award-winner, whose stellar acting career was derailed by sex assault allegations, was accused of sexual offenses against four men in Britain.
There were nine charges against Spacey, who pleaded not guilty to all, including multiple counts of sexual and indecent assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. He had faced 13 charges until July 19, when the judge removed four counts that duplicated the same allegations under an older statute.
Three men accused the actor of aggressively grabbing their crotches. A fourth, an aspiring actor seeking mentorship, said he awoke to the actor performing oral sex on him after going to Spacey’s London apartment for a beer and either falling asleep or passing out.
The accusations date from 2001 to 2013 and include a period when Spacey — after winning Academy Awards for “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty” — had returned to theater, his first love. During most of that period he was artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre in London.
Kevin Spacey UK sexual assault trial:Actor’s charges, case explained
During the trial, the actor said he was a “big flirt” who had consensual flings with men and whose only misstep was touching a man’s groin while making a “clumsy pass.”
Spacey choked up and became teary eyed in the witness box as he described the emotional and financial turmoil that the U.S. accusations brought and the barrage of criticism that followed on social media.
“My world exploded,” Spacey testified. “There was a rush to judgment 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.”
A New York jury last year swiftly cleared Spacey in a $40 million lawsuit by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp on allegations dating back three decades.
Spacey had viewed the London case as a chance for redemption, telling German magazine Zeit last month that there were “people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London.”
Contributing: USA TODAY staff, The Associated Press
