ACTOR IN CLEAR
Kevin Spacey sobs as he’s CLEARED of sexually assaulting four men – after Oscar-winning star was branded ‘sexual bully’
KEVIN Spacey today sobbed with relief as he was cleared of sexually assaulting four men.
The Oscar-winning star was branded a "sexual bully" for allegedly attacking the men in charges dating back 22 years.
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The American Beauty star had previously broke down, claiming: "I lost everything".
Spacey, who is celebrating his 64th birthday today, wept as he was cleared of all charges after 12 hours and 26 minutes deliberation.
The actor placed his hand on his chest and mouthed "thank you" twice to jurors before they left the room.
Speaking outside Southwark Crown Court, he said he was ";humbled" by the verdict.
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The star added: "I imagine that many of you can understand that there is 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 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 Evan and Lucy for being here every day, and that's all I have to say for the moment. Thank you very much."
Spacey had denied all charges - saying the allegations against him were motivated by "money, money and then money".
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During a star-studded trial, stars such as Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish were called to give evidence.
Jurors were told Spacey was "turned on" by his victims getting angry at him and believed they would not come forward due to his fame.
He "abused the power and influence that his reputation and fame afforded him" to target the four men, it was claimed.
The court was told the four men were aged in their 20s or 30s when they "attracted the attention" of the star.
One, who first worked with Spacey at an event at The Haymarket Theatre, claimed the actor grabbed his genitals with such force that it was "painful".
He also alleged the star made a remark about him being black and asked him "have we f***ed?" and if he had a "big c**k".
Another man claimed "slippery" Spacey grabbed his privates as they made their way to Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball.
He claimed it was "so hard I almost came off the road".
Spacey was also accused of grabbing another man's crotch "like a cobra" and subjecting him to a "machine gun" of "vile comments".
While another alleged victim told the court he woke up to find Spacey performing a sex act on him.
But the actor broke down as he was called to give evidence and claimed his world "exploded" in 2017 when allegations about him first emerged on the internet.
He also insisted he was just a "big flirt" and respected someone when they told him no.
Spacey was seen dabbing his eyes with a tissue as he added: "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."
He was cleared today of 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 was one of the most high-profile scalps during the Me Too movement.
The allegations caused his Oscar-winning career to crumble around him as he faced claims from multiple men in the UK and US.
He was stripped of an International Emmy Award in the wake of the claims and was edited out of Sir Ridley Scott film All The Money In The World.
His central character in acclaimed Netflix series House of Cards was also killed off after he was axed from the show.
In November last year, it emerged that a US arbitrator ordered Spacey to pay back nearly £24.6million to the studio that made the hit show.
Spacey has always denied the allegations against him and the final US criminal case was closed in July 2019.
In a statement, a CPS spokesman said: "Following a thorough investigation by the Metropolitan Police, the CPS made the decision to charge Kevin Spacey with sexual offences.
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"The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges.
"It is the role of the jury to consider the charges and we respect the decision of the court."
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