ALondon jury on Wednesday found Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey not guilty on all nine charges he faced related to sexual assault.
According to the BBC, Kevin Spacey, aged 64, faced multiple charges including sexual assault, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity. These charges were related to alleged encounters that occurred between 2001 and 2013, mostly during Spacey’s tenure as an artistic director at London’s Old Vic theater.
After more than 12 hours of deliberation across three days, the jury delivered not guilty verdicts, as reported by CNN. As the verdicts were read out, Spacey became emotional and started crying in court.
During the trial, the defense argued that three of the four accusers had made false allegations against Spacey, and they suggested that the fourth accuser was under the influence of alcohol.
As reported by the British outlet, defense barrister Patrick Gibbs KC stated, “Having consensual sex, even if you’re famous, and having casual sex are not crimes. Similarly, engaging in same-sex activities is not a crime in 2023; we have progressed from the mindset of 1823.”