00:00 It was Kevin Spacey's 64th birthday when a London jury here at Southwark Crown Court
00:07 returned a not guilty verdict.
00:09 This trial started about four weeks ago and involved alleged sexual offences against four
00:15 men between the dates of 2001 and 2013.
00:19 The prosecution argued that Kevin Spacey abused his power as a Hollywood actor and made complainants
00:25 feel worthless.
00:27 The lawyers for The American said that complainants were motivated by fame and money.
00:33 After less than three days of deliberations, the jury returned to deliver a non-guilty
00:38 verdict on all nine charges.
00:40 Kevin Spacey wept in the court as the verdict was read out.
00:44 Soon after, he embraced his legal team and also thanked the jury.
00:48 He made a brief statement on the steps of London's Southwark Crown Court.
00:52 I imagine that many of you can understand that there's a lot for me to process after
00:59 what has just happened today.
01:03 But I would like to say that I'm enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the
01:11 time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts carefully before they reached
01:19 their decision.
01:22 And I am humbled by the outcome today.
01:25 From the outset, jurors were told not to be intimidated by the actor's fame and celebrity.
01:31 The character witness statements involved the likes of Elton John, who briefly appeared
01:36 via video link from Monaco.
01:38 Kevin Spacey has always said he would use this trial to defend himself and clear his
01:43 name so that ultimately he can resume his high-profile career.
01:47 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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