Kevin Spacey is CLEARED of sex assaults: House of Cards star breaks down in tears as he is found not guilty after labelling claims against him ‘madness’ and a ‘stab in the back’
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Kevin Spacey broke down in tears today as he was found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men after labelling the claims against him ‘madness’ and ‘a stab in the back’.
The American double Oscar winner, who marks his 64th birthday today, was branded a ‘sexual bully’ for allegedly attacking the men in charges dating back as far as 22 years.
The allegations not only shredded what had been a glittering showbiz career but also had major financial implications, with the star told to pay £25.5million to the producers of House of Cards after he was sacked.
He has also been landed with at least £1million in defence fees and suffered the humiliation of being edited out of the Sir Ridley Scott film All The Money In The World. Earlier in the trial Spacey told the jury: ‘I’ve lost everything’.
Spacey was accused but cleared of carrying out offences involving grabbing, squeezing, and touching of four victims’ genitals and buttocks over their clothing between 2005 to 2013 – mostly during his time as Artistic Director at The Old Vic theatre.
Kevin Spacey leaves Southwark Crown Court after being cleared of a string of predatory sexual assaults
The House of Cards star – pictured today – broke down in the dock as the jury returned their verdicts
Spacey in court today
Three alleged indecent assaults and four sexual assaults were dated between 2001 and 2004. The five further offences that were alleged against him range from between 2005 to 2013.
Throughout the trial Spacey was sure of his innocence, repeatedly denying all the charges against him.
But only the sharp-eyed would have noticed a silver ring on the middle finger of the 63-year-old’s left hand. Fewer still would have appreciated its significance. Engraved on the band in Hebrew are words that read: ‘This too shall pass.’
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The ring was a gift from his manager Evan Lowenstein.
As allegations piled up and his acting roles came to a halt, the hit to Spacey financially was equally devastating.
His defence costs for the UK trial alone were put at more than £1m, a figure dwarfed by US legal fees.
Throughout the trial Spacey was sure of his innocence, repeatedly denying all the charges against him
Even worse, two years ago an arbitrator ruled his alleged sexual misconduct amounted to a breach of contract and he was told to pay £25.5 million to the producers of House of Cards – a production from which he was sacked.
Spacey lost an appeal to overturn the ruling last year, though whether or not he has handed over the cash remains unclear.
When the court asked Spacey about his financial situation, he answered: ‘I have got no money coming in and I have had a lot of legal bills… and I have not paid it all off and I still owe money.’
The actor sold his Los Angeles mansion for £8.5million shortly before the scandal broke.
He still owns a £2.5million penthouse flat in an exclusive London tower block overlooking the Houses of Parliament – where he stayed during the court case.
When the court asked Spacey about his financial situation, he answered: ‘I have got no money coming in and I have had a lot of legal bills… and I have not paid it all off and I still owe money’
As for the Old Vic, a London theatre that Spacey headed for 11 years – it is unknown whether the star will be reinstated.
Before the controversy broke Spacey had an assistant, an agent, a publicist, a manager, a personal trainer and a bodyguard.
In the wake of the scandal, his publicist, Staci Wolfe, quit working for him, as did his agents at CAA. Only Mr Lowenstein, appointed as his manager in 2016, remains.
