LONDON — Kevin Spacey impressed the jury in his sexual assault trial with his use of humor, humility, and emotion. He shared stories from his career and named fellow stars while his lawyer denounced his accusers as liars and portrayed Spacey as the true victim. The actor was acquitted of sexual assault on Wednesday, avoiding a potential prison sentence and offering him the chance for a career revival. Tears streamed down Spacey’s face as the final “not guilty” verdict was announced. He expressed his gratitude to the jury for carefully examining the evidence before reaching their decision.
During his testimony, Spacey became emotional as he spoke about the aftermath of the sex abuse allegations that arose during the #MeToo movement in the U.S. in 2017. He described how his world crumbled and he lost his job, reputation, and everything he had built over the course of six years. The trial featured accusations from three men, who claimed that Spacey aggressively groped them, and a fourth man, an aspiring actor, who alleged that Spacey performed oral sex on him while he was unconscious in his London apartment.
Spacey admitted to being a “big flirt” and engaging in consensual relationships with men. He acknowledged that his only mistake was making an inappropriate advance towards a man. His defense attorney, Patrick Gibbs, labeled three of the accusers as liars and argued that they distorted the incidents with malevolent intent. He accused them of jumping on the “bandwagon” of complaints in the hopes of cashing in. Two of the accusers have filed lawsuits against Spacey.
Prosecutor Christine Agnew portrayed Spacey as a “sexual bully” who preyed on younger men. She argued that he was shielded by a “trinity of protection” since men were unlikely to come forward, and if they did, they wouldn’t be believed or have their complaints addressed due to his power and influence.
Spacey had faced nine charges, including multiple counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. He saw the London trial as an opportunity for redemption, claiming that there were people ready to hire him once he was cleared of the charges.
The jury reached its verdict after approximately 20 minutes of deliberation following a deadlock. The judge informed them that they could reach verdicts with at least 10 out of 12 jurors in agreement. The trial lasted nearly a month, and the jury deliberated for approximately 12.5 hours over three days.
Spacey’s testimony was marked by moments of laughter from the jurors and occasional intervention from the judge to keep him focused. He spoke about personal anecdotes, such as his fondness for smoking marijuana and his difficulty in rolling a joint. However, he also referenced his high school acting days with Val Kilmer, shared stories about extravagant purchases, and discussed his interactions with renowned actress Judi Dench.
Spacey’s career took a significant hit following the allegations, resulting in his removal from the TV series “House of Cards” and the replacement of his scenes in the film “All the Money in the World.” Beyond a few small projects, he has struggled to find work in the past six years. The recent trial victory represents his second legal triumph, following the dismissal of a $40 million lawsuit brought against him by actor Anthony Rapp. Prosecutors in Massachusetts dropped charges after the alleged victim refused to testify, and Los Angeles prosecutors declined to press charges in another case due to the death of the accuser.
Spacey mentioned that being out of work had left him burdened with outstanding bills, and an arbitrator ordered him to pay nearly $31 million to the creators of “House of Cards” for violating his contract through sexual harassment of crew members.
(Note: The original content contained HTML tags, but these tags have been omitted in the rewritten version for clarity.)