(BBC) – Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey wept in court as he was cleared of all charges in his sexual assault trial in London.
Jurors at Southwark Crown Court returned not guilty verdicts for nine sexual offence charges relating to four men between 2001 and 2013.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Spacey said he was “grateful” to the jury as he thanked them for their deliberations – which took more than 12 hours.
Outside the court the Oscar winner added he was “humbled”.
The US actor was acquitted of seven counts of sexual assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
After the verdict was read, he put his hand on his chest, looked at the jurors and mouthed “thank you” twice before they left the room.
Addressing journalists on the court’s steps Mr Spacey said there was “a lot for me to process”.
“I would like to say that I am enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts carefully before they reached their decision,” he said.
“I am humbled by the outcome today. I also want to thank the staff inside this courthouse, the security, and all of those who took care of us every single day.”
