New Delhi: After a four-week trial in the UK, a London jury on Wednesday acquitted actor Kevin Spacey of sexual assault allegations, according to the BBC report. During the trial, Spacey said he was a "big flirt" who engaged in consensual flings with guys and whose only mistake was holding a man's groin during a "clumsy pass." The Oscar-winning actor was accused of molesting three men. A fourth man, an aspiring actor looking for guidance, claims that after having a few beers at Spacey's London flat, he fell asleep or passed out and woke up to the actor having oral sex on him.
On his birthday, Spacey has been cleared of all charges against him in the U.K. The jury took two days to come to the decision. In a press statement after the trial, Spacey 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 the decision. And I am humbled by the outcome today. I also want to thank the staff inside this courthouse, the security and all those who took care of us every single day, my legal team … for being here every day and that’s all I have to say for the moment. Thank you very much.”
During the course of the trial, the jury heard all 4 went who had accused Spacey of sexual misconduct.
Originally, Spacey was charged with 12 counts, but these were reduced to nine last week due to a 'legal difficulty'. This series of acquittals is another victory for Spacey, who won a $40 million civil lawsuit which was brought by the actor Anthony Rapp in October last year.