Kevin Spacey Found Not Guilty of 9 Charges of Sexual Abuse

A jury in London has found Kevin Spacey not guilty of nine charges of sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity, according to Variety.

The actor was originally charged with 12 counts — plus an addendum to one of the counts — but, according to the outlet, they were reduced to eight due to a "legal technicality."

The publication also reported that Spacey broke down in tears when the jury came to a decision after two days of deliberations.

The former House of Cards actor was on trial in London's Southwark Crown Court for accusations that he sexually assaulted four men between 2001 and 2013. At the time, he was the artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre, where he worked until 2015. He faced 12 charges of sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, all of which he denied. 

During the trial, the jury heard gripping claims against the actor through testimony and videotaped police interviews that were shown in court.

The first accuser told police, per NBC News, that Spacey "grabbed me in private areas, and tried to get me to put my hands on him. He tried to grope me and grab me and it made me feel very, very uncomfortable."

He alleged that Spacey inappropriately touched him several times over the course of five years, a time when the alleged victim was "mixed up and confused" about his sexual orientation.

A second accuser claimed the actor kissed his neck and grabbed his crotch, which were unwelcome actions.

"At that point he kissed my neck twice and grabbed my crotch," the witness said. "He said the words: 'Be cool, be cool' twice. I put my arm between us and pushed him against a wall. I said, 'I am sorry, man, I don't bat for that team.'"

During the trial, another witness testified that Spacey grabbed him and directed a "machine gun" of abusive sexual comments at him at a London theater in the mid-2000s.

He alleged that the Academy Award winner came out as gay in the same 2017 statement responding to sexual assault accusations to "disguise" his alleged predatory behavior, according to The Guardian.

The final accuser said he sought mentorship from Spacey through the theater, and the actor invited him back to his apartment.

While there, he said he fell asleep, which wasn't "something I'd normally do," describing it as "unusual behavior to just conk out."

He woke up no more than five hours later to Spacey on the floor allegedly "performing oral sex" on him. He told authorities he wasn't sure how long Spacey had been allegedly performing the act.

He recalled shoving Spacey away and asking him to stop. Spacey responded by telling him to leave, the accuser said, and instructed him to keep the alleged moment between them.

During the third week of his sexual assault trial in the U.K., the actor himself took the stand and said that the touching was not "aggressive" nor "violent." When asked if he is flirtatious, Spacey responded, per Variety, "I'm a big flirt. We had a very fun time together."

When questioned about the allegations that he grabbed another accuser "hard" backstage at a charity event and, earlier that evening, made lewd remarks, Spacey replied, "I never said anything of the things he claims I said to him and wouldn't and never have in my life," the outlet reported.