American actor Kevin Spacey has been cleared of sexual assault charges in his U.K. trial. The trial at Southwark Crown Court in London lasted four days and The House of Cards star, who faced several counts of sexual assault charges, including engaging in sexual activities and sexual penetration without consent, had tears in his eyes after being declared innocent. He placed his hands on his chest and thanked the jurors for their decision before leaving the court.
Spacey — like quite a few of his famous celebrity cohorts — became one of the most hated men after being charged with grave sexual misconduct. A few of these cases were brought before the jury by prosecutors but were rejected. According to them, the American Beauty star ‘aggressively’ grabbed three men by the crotch and performed a non-consensual sexual act on one of them.
The court’s decision was questioned and criticized by prosecutors, who told the jury that this left the complainants feeling ‘small, diminished, and worthless.’ This is because, it’s claimed, that there was enough evidence to prove the actor’s guilt, such as the victim’s testimony in court where he called him a “sexual bully” and a predator.
However, it isn’t the first time Spacey’s reputation as a sexual assaulter invited public attention as last year, he won his trial against actor Anthony Rapp who accused Spacey of sexually abusing him at a party when he was 14. However, luck was in favor of the 64-year-old actor who was acquitted on grounds of minimal evidence of the incident.
The allegations and charges of a serious issue like sexual harassment and assault adversely impacted Spacey’s career as he was fired from House of Cards, but now that he’s found closure, it is unknown as to how and what the collective reaction will be.