American movie star, Kevin Spacey, has been cleared of sexual assault charges levelled against him in the United Kingdom.
The “House of Cards” actor was accused of different acts of sexual misconduct against four men between 2001 to 2013. His trial, which was held at Southwark Crown Court, London, spanned four weeks and featured popular singer, Elton John as a defence witness.
The Oscar-winner had pleaded “not guilty” to the charges and claimed his accusers were “lying for money”
Jurors in the case delivered a ‘not guilty’ verdict on Wednesday after over 12 hours of deliberation, Daily Mail reports.
He was cleared on 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.
Spacey, who wept while the verdict was delivered, later gave a speech and thanked the jury for their decision.
He said, “I imagine that many of you can understand that there’s a lot for me to process after what has just happened today. 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.
“I am humbled by the outcome today. I also want to thank the staff inside this courthouse, the security, and all of those who took care of us every single day.”
Public allegations against Spacey began in 2017 after Hollywood actor, Anthony Rapp, alleged that Spacey had made sexual advances towards him at a party in 1986 while the latter was drunk. Rapp sued in 2020 but Spacey held “not liable” for the claims in 2022.
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