BAFTA-nominated director Stephen Fingleton has been cleared of sexual assault. The case came to a close in a London court on Wednesday, with the jury finding the Northern Irish director not guilty.
He had been accused of sexually assaulting an actress – who was in her 20s and cannot be named, in accordance with U.K. law – in a London apartment after a meeting to discuss professional matters. The pair had earlier met at a BFI London Film Festival event, according to earlier reports.
Fingleton, 35, had always denied assaulting the actress. He told the court he had lost a deal to work on a U.S. movie that had name talent attached as a result of the case. The director is now expected to attempt to rebuild his career. Court reports said he thanked the jury after the verdict was delivered following several hours of deliberation.
Fingleton had started to emerge as a filmmaker before the court case and was one of BAFTA’s Breakthrough Brits in 2015.
He received acclaim for his debut feature “The Survivalist,” winning the Douglas Hickox Award at the British Independent Film Awards for best debut feature and being nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer.