The men came forward after an American actor accused Spacey of sexual misconduct as the #MeToo movement heated up in 2017. He served as artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre in London for most of that time. The accusations dated from 2001 to 2013 and included a period when Spacey - after winning Academy Awards for “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty” - had returned to the theater. He said the incident in the car was the final straw and he avoided the star afterwards. That was significant because the man said he had begun working with Spacey in the early 2000s and suffered from unwanted fondling for years. They said Spacey didn’t attend the White Tie & Tiara Ball the year the man said, but had been a surprise guest three or four years earlier in 2001. In a cameo appearance, the rock star and his husband, David Furnish, testified by video from Monaco and offered a timeline that cast doubt on the driver’s account. Shortly before reaching the impasse, jurors had asked Wall to summarize the testimony of a man who said the actor grabbed his crotch so forcefully while he was driving to a gala at Elton John’s that he almost ran off the road. They deliberated nearly 12.5 hours over three days in a trial that spanned nearly a month. Justice Mark Wall told the panel of nine men and three women that it could reach verdicts if at least 10 of 12 jurors agreed. The verdict came about 20 minutes after jurors said they were deadlocked and the judge told them they could reach verdicts without unanimity - a provision allowed in English criminal cases. 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.” Spacey had faced nine charges, including multiple counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. She said he was shielded by a “trinity of protection” - he knew men were unlikely to complain they wouldn’t be believed if they did complain and if they did complain, no action would be taken because he was powerful. Prosecutor Christine Agnew called Spacey a “sexual bully” who preyed on younger men. Spacey 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.”ĭefense lawyer Patrick Gibbs said three of the men were liars and that incidents had been “reimagined with a sinister spin.” He accused them of hopping on a “bandwagon” of complaints in the hope of striking it rich. A fourth, an aspiring actor, said he awoke to the actor performing oral sex on him after falling asleep or passing out in Spacey’s London apartment where he had gone for career advice and a beer. Three men accused the Oscar winner of aggressively grabbing their crotches, describing him as “vile” and a “slippery, snaky” predator. “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.” Spacey’s wide-ranging testimony over two days culminated as he choked up speaking of the six years he went without work after sex abuse allegations surfaced against him during the #MeToo movement in the U.S. “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 imagine that many of you can understand that there’s a lot for me to process after what has just happened today,” a humbled Spacey said outside Southwark Crown Court after thanking a handful of jurors in the lobby. The actor looked at the jury, placed his hand over the lapel of his blue suit and pink shirt, and mouthed, “thank you.” It was his 64th birthday. Tears rolled down Spacey’s cheeks as the final “not guilty” verdict was read. Spacey was acquitted of sexual assault Wednesday after his star turn as a witness in his own defense spared him a possible prison term and gave him a shot at a career comeback. LONDON (AP) - Kevin Spacey charmed the jury in his sexual assault trial with humor, humility and emotion as he dropped names of fellow stars and stories from his once-celebrated career while his lawyer called his accusers liars and said the Oscar winner was the real victim.
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