Kevin Spacey acquitted in U.K. sexual assault trial

The actor, who stood trial under his full name, Kevin Spacey Fowler, was accused of assaulting four men in incidents that allegedly occurred in London and Gloucestershire between 2001 and 2013. Spacey previously worked as an art director for the London’s Old Vic Theatre from 2004 to 2015.

He originally faced 12 charges — five of which were authorized by U.K. prosecutors last May with another seven added in November. Prosecutors added an additional count of indecent assault in the middle of the trial, according to the Hollywood Reporter. However, four indecent assault charges were dropped due to a “legal technicality.”

The four male accusers each testified against Spacey during the trial, which began on June 28. Prosecutors described the actor as a “sexual bully” who used his power to take what he wanted.

The “House of Cards” star called the accusations “madness” and a “stab in the back,” telling jurors that he “did not have a power wand that I waved in front of people’s faces whenever I wanted someone to go to bed with me,” according to Deadline. Spacey described two of the sexual encounters as consensual and denied another. One of the cases, he said, was a “clumsy pass” for which he later tried to apologize.

As a part of the defense, the jury heard from Spacey, Elton John and David Furnish, as well as other character witnesses, including Spacey’s niece.

Spacey has faced a series of accusations in the U.S. since actor Anthony Rapp accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017. Rapp sued Spacey in civil court, seeking $40 million in damages. A New York jury found Spacey not liable in an October 2022 ruling.

In 2018, Massachusetts authorities charged Spacey with indecent assault and battery over allegations that he groped an 18-year-old at a bar in Nantucket two years prior. He pleaded not guilty. The case was dropped after witnesses failed to testify. Another case in California, brought by a massage therapist, was dismissed after the alleged victim passed away.

The controversy over these allegations led to Spacey’s firing from the hit Netflix show “House of Cards,” which upended the trajectory of the show’s final season. In August 2022, Spacey was ordered to pay more than $30 million to the show’s producers for losses accrued over his firing.