Kevin Spacey was acquitted of sexual assault on Wednesday after the Oscar winner’s testimony as a witness in his own defence spared him a possible prison term and gave him a shot at a career comeback. Tears rolled down Spacey’s cheeks as the final “not guilty” verdict was read. It was his 64th birthday. Spacey’s wideranging testimony climaxed as he choked up speaking of the six years he’d gone without work after sex abuse allegations surfaced against him during the #MeToo movement in the US in 2017. “My world exploded,” Spacey had testified.
Three men accused Spacey of aggressively grabbing their crotches. A fourth, an aspiring actor, said he awoke to the actor performing oral sex on him. Spacey said he was a “big flirt” who had consensual flings with men and whose only misstep was touching a man’s groin while making a “clumsy pass”. His defence lawyer said three of the men were liars and incidents had been “reimagined with a sinister spin. ” Prosecutor said Spacey was a “sexual bully” who took what he wanted when he wanted. Spacey had faced nine charges, including multiple counts of sexual assault. The accusations date from 2001 to 2013. During most of that period he was artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre in London.