Hollywood star Kevin Spacey was acquitted of sex assault charges. The star wept in court as he was cleared of sexual assault against four men and said he was grateful to the jury and humbled to be cleared at Southwark Crown court.

It took jury 12 hours and 26 minutes to acquit him yesterday after a four week trial in which singer Sir Elton John gave evidence and the names of Val Kilmer, Dame Judi Dench and Dame Joan Collins were dropped.

The Crown Prosecution Service said it respected the verdict adding its function is not to decide whether a person is guilty   but to make fair, independent and objective assesments about whether it is appropriate to present charges.

Two of Spacey’s accusers are suing him in the civil court. But the verdict ends criminal proceedings and could see him back on screen after being shunned by Hollywood for six years.

Over the past six years Kevin Spacey  has been accused of attacking at least 30 men in Britain and America leading to several civil claims and criminal cases  -but not one has been upheld.

In 2017 he was cleared  when American actor Anthony Rapp, 51, claimed Spacey assaulted him when he was 14, launching  a £31 million civil claim for damaged in the US.

In 2018, he was cleared  when a man claimed Sapcey sexually assaulted him, in West Hollywood in 1992,

In2023 Spacey was cleared  when four men accused him of 9 sexual attacks. He was accused of groping a man several times causing him to nearly crash as he was driving on the way to Sir Elton John’s ball. But the actor was cleared of sexual assault after jurors heard  the star did not attend the ball on the night of the alleged attack.

Spacey was accused of groping a man at a Cotswolds holiday home but was cleared of sexual assault after claiming it was just a clumsy pass.

 The actor was also accused of performing a sex act on a drama graduate in 2008 while he was sleeping but was found not guilty after saying it was consensual.

Spacey also was accused of grabbing a man like a cobra at a gala. He was cleared of sexual assault after claiming the complainant had made it up.