Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men following a trial in the UK.
The Hollywood star, 64, had been on trial at Southwark Crown Court in London accused of nine sex offences against four men in the period between 2001 and 2013.
After 12 hours and 26 minutes, the jury panel acquitted Mr Spacey 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.
The American Beauty and House of Cards actor had denied all charges - saying the allegations against him were "madness" and a "stab in the back".
Speaking on the court steps after the verdicts - which came on his birthday - Mr Spacey said: "I would like to say that I'm 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 the decision.
"I am humbled by the outcome today."
The star had wept as the verdicts were announced.
The usher handed him a tissue after jurors announced the not guilty decisions to the courtroom.
The defendant placed his hand on his chest, looked at the jury panel and mouthed "thank you" twice before they left the room.
After trial judge Mr Justice Wall said he was free to leave the dock, and after jurors had left the room, the star embraced his legal team and wiped tears from his eyes.
Kevin Spacey profile
Jurors had rejected the prosecution's claims that Mr Spacey had "aggressively" grabbed three men by the crotch and had performed a sex act on another man while he was asleep in his flat.
Under questioning from Mr Spacey's lawyer, Patrick Gibbs KC, the complainants all denied either seeking financial gain, attempting to further their career or giving false accounts to the jury.
During the trial, one complainant alleged the actor "aggressively" grabbed his crotch while he drove him to a lavish showbusiness party hosted by Elton John in the early 2000s.
Jurors were told Mr Spacey allegedly grabbed another man's crotch "like a cobra" after meeting him at a West End theatre in the mid-2000s following an alleged "barrage of vile comments".
The defendant was also accused of having had a "panicked" look on his face after a third man rejected an alleged sexual grab at an expensive property he was staying at in the Cotswolds in the early 2010s.
An aspiring actor told the court of an alleged incident in the late 2000s where "things went further" - claiming he woke up to find Mr Spacey performing a sex act on him.
A number of famous names were mentioned during the trial, with singer Elton John even being called as a defence witness.
Mr Spacey also spoke of having gifted a ping pong table to Judi Dench after they worked on a film together and told jurors about staying in Harry Potter star Richard Harris's son's flat in the 1980s.
Following the not guilty verdicts in the trial, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said prosecutors "respect" the decision of the court.
In a statement, a CPS spokesman said: "Following a thorough investigation by the Metropolitan Police, the CPS made the decision to charge Kevin Spacey with sexual offences.
"The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges.
"It is the role of the jury to consider the charges and we respect the decision of the court."
Source: Press Association
