Kevin Spacey, the Oscar-winning actor, has been acquitted by a London jury on sexual assault charges.
The charges were initially brought forward by four men in 2017, regarding interactions from 2001 to 2013, according to the Associated Press.
Among the accusations, three men claimed that Spacey aggressively grabbed their crotches, while an aspiring actor stated that he woke up to the actor performing oral sex on him after having fallen asleep or passing out at Spacey's apartment.
Throughout the trial, Spacey, who is celebrating his 64th birthday Wednesday, the same day as the verdict came in, maintained his plea of not guilty to a total of nine charges, including multiple counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
According to the Associated Press, in his defense, Spacey claimed that he was a "big flirt" and had engaged in consensual flings with men. He acknowledged that he touched a man's groin in a "clumsy pass" at one point. According to him, this was his only misstep in the situation and it cost him his career.
“My world exploded,” Spacey testified. “There was a rush to judgment and before the first question was asked or answered I lost my job, I lost my reputation, I lost everything in a matter of days.”
