A jury found Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey not guilty Wednesday in his criminal sexual assault trial in London.
Spacey, who has said he would like to make an acting comeback, pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Spacey's lawyer said, during closing arguments, on Friday, that the three accusers were liars. Spacey testified and denied any wrongdoing.
This is another legal win for Spacey. Last fall, he was found not liable in regards to the molestation charges brought forth against him by actor Anthony Rapp. There were plenty of holes in Rapp’s account of the events.
Spacey had also been charged in 2017 for, allegedly, sexually assaulting the teenage son of former Boston WCVB-TV news anchor Heather Unruh at a Nantucket bar in July 2016. Eventually, those charges were dropped. It turned out, Spacey’s accuser had altered phone records and text messages. When the accuser pleaded the fifth in court, that sealed the deal and the complainant lost the case.
All of these legal wins are great for Spacey, but it doesn’t escape the fact that his name has been absolutely tarnished by the media over the last six years. These days, you can be found innocent, multiple times, in the court of law, but public perception can still permanently destroy your career.
Spacey was one of the great living actors before he got embroiled in these controversies, his career highlights included marquee roles in “American Beauty”, “The Usual Suspects”, “Se7en”, “Glengary Glen Ross”, “L.A. Confidential” and “The Negotiator”.
Spacey is attempting an acting comeback, he will next be seen in the micro-indie “Peter Five Eight."