Hollywood star Kevin Spacey cleared of sex offences
26.07.2023 - 15:45
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Kevin Spacey has been cleared of nine sex offences following a trial. The Oscar-winning actor had tears in his eyes as a jury at Southwark Crown Court found him not guilty of sexually assaulting four men between 2001 and 2013.
The American Beauty and House of Cards actor denied all the charges against him – saying the allegations were “madness” and a “stab in the back”.
The jury deliberated for more than 12 hours before acquitting Spacey, 64, 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.
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They rejected the prosecution’s claims that Spacey had “aggressively” grabbed three men by the crotch and had performed a sex act on another man while he was asleep in his flat. Under questioning from Spacey’s lawyer, Patrick Gibbs KC, the complainants all denied either seeking financial gain, attempting to further their career or giving false accounts to the jury.
A number of famous names were mentioned during the trial, singer Sir Elton John even being called as a defence witness. Spacey also spoke of having gifted a ping pong table to Dame Judi Dench after they worked on a film together.
During the trial, one complainant alleged the actor “aggressively” grabbed his crotch while he drove him to a lavish showbiz party hosted by Sir Elton John in the early 2000s. Jurors were told Spacey allegedly grabbed another man’s crotch “like a cobra” after meeting him at a West End theatre in the mid-2000s following an alleged “barrage of vile comments”.
The defendant was also accused of having had