Actor Kevin Spacey has gotten off scot-free after being found not guilty of sexually assaulting multiple men in London.
Per the New York Times, the verdict was handed down on Wednesday after weeks of testimony from four victims who claim the Hollywood A-lister had assaulted them. The instances spanned from 2001 up until 2013, with the men claiming Spacey would grab their crotch area and grope them during his artistic director position with the Old Vic Theatre in London. In one of the most serious accusations, one man said he fell asleep around Spacey and awoke to him performing non-consensual oral sex. Another victim shared that the 64-year-old touched his genitals on several occasions despite his objections.
Spacey took the stand in his own defense, admitting that he did give one of the accusers oral sex, but insisted that it was consensual. His attorney, Patrick Gibbs, slammed the accusers, telling the jury they were only after his money. Gibbs argued that the actor was an “easy target” due to his hypersexual desires.
The jury consisted of three women and nine men, who deliberated for about 12 hours before coming up with a verdict. Spacey was composed until the verdict was read, which sparked an intense emotional reaction from the “House of Cards” star. He began to cry and grab his chest as he learned his fate.
“I imagine that many of you can understand that there’s a lot for me to process. I’m enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence,” Spacey told reporters outside the Southwark Crown Court.
