Kevin Spacey found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men-Alicia Adejobi-Entertainment – Metro

Kevin Spacey stood trial in London (Picture: PA)

Kevin Spacey has been found not guilty of sexual assault following a highly-publicised trial in London. 

The Oscar-winning actor, 63, stood trial at Southwark Crown Court and was accused of nine charges of sexual assault and indecent assault, which are alleged to have been committed against four men between 2001 and 2013. 

Spacey denied the charges. 

As the not guilty verdict was read out, Spacey became tearful as the jury cleared him.

It took the jury 12 hours and 26 minutes to acquit Spacey, who was charged with 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.

Before being sent out to consider their verdicts on Monday, the jury panel heard claims from the prosecution that Spacey ‘aggressively’ grabbed the crotches of three men, while a fourth complainant accused the defendant of having drugged him and performed a sex act on him while he was asleep at his flat. 

The House of Cards actor pictured arriving at court on Monday (Picture: PA)

Spacey testified during the trial and said he felt ‘pressured’ into coming out as gay (Picture: PA)

One of the men described allegedly being grabbed ‘like a cobra’ during an incident with the Hollywood actor at a West End theatre show. 

The man told an officer he remembered ‘freezing and pushing his arm away’ when Spacey allegedly assaulted him, describing it as a ‘bizarre and horrible experience’. He also detailed the ‘barrage of vile comments’, telling the officer: ‘Maybe he enjoyed me being uncomfortable.’ 

Recalling the alleged assault, the complainant said ‘[Spacey] was like a cobra and grabbed with such force it was really painful’ and ‘like a cobra coming out and getting hold’. 

Another complainant alleged that Spacey began to attack him within two to three weeks of meeting him and said he was made to ‘feel uncomfortable’.

‘From the first two to three weeks he would start to try and get into my head about what my sexuality was like,’ the alleged victim said in a police interview.

The man could be seen describing Spacey as a ‘slippery, snaky, difficult person’ and a ‘very mixed-up individual’.

He continued: ‘He grabbed me, he grabbed me a good few times. He would squeeze my bum and would rub my legs.’ 

When questioned by Spacey’s lawyer, Patrick Gibbs KC, the men all denied either seeking financial gain, attempting to further their careers or giving false accounts to the jury. 

Spacey gave testimony during the trial and said he felt ‘pressured’ to come out as gay after being accused of sexual misconduct in 2017. He spoke about the reaction to the allegations during the trial on Thursday, saying there was ‘a rush to judgement’. 

‘Before the first question was asked or answered I lost my job, I lost my reputation, I lost everything in a matter of days.’ 

Spacey was axed from House of Cards after the sexual misconduct allegations were made (Picture: Rex Features)

Spacey vehemently denied the allegations (Picture: Getty Images)

He won the best actor Oscar for his lead performance in American Beauty (Picture: Rex Features)

At the time of the allegations, Spacey had issued a statement coming out as gay, which he said ‘upset’ the LGBTQ+ community as he came out ‘while I was responding to an accusation… now I understand why it was read that way but I hadn’t put those two things together,’ he said.

He claimed he had wanted to come out as gay for around two years at that stage and thought that ‘in the face of this terrible accusation maybe I can do something at least positive.’ 

Spacey is best known for starring in a string of blockbuster movies including Superman Returns, Horrible Bosses and Pay It Forward.

He has won two Oscars; the first for his supporting role in The Usual Suspects and then receiving the best actor award for his lead performance in American Beauty.

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