Armie Hammer has broken his silence after it was confirmed that he won't face sexual assault charges after police concluded their investigation into an alleged assault in 2017.
Armie Hammer thanked everyone who supported him
The 36-year-old actor was identified as a suspect in the case back in 2021 - but Tiffiny Blacknell, the director of the Bureau of Communications at the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, announced on Wednesday (31.05.23) that he won't face sexual assault charges.
And the 'Call Me By Your Name' actor has said he will now begin the "long, difficult process of putting my life back together" after his name was cleared, and he also thanked those who stood by him through the ordeal.
In a social media statement, he wrote: "I am very grateful to the District Attorney for conducting a thorough investigation and coming to the conclusion that I have stood by this entire time, that no crime was committed.
"I look forward to beginning what will be a long, difficult process of putting my life back together now that my name is cleared."
The post was captioned on Instagram: "I would like to say a very special thank you to all of the people who have helped me get through this time. Onwards and upwards."
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Blacknell explained that the case had been dropped "due to the complexity of the relationship and inability to prove a non-consensual, forcible sexual encounter we are unable to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt".
She added: "Sexual assault cases are often difficult to prove, which is why we assign our most experienced prosecutors to review them. In this case, those prosecutors conducted an extremely thorough review, but determined that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to charge Mr. Hammer with a crime.
"As prosecutors, we have an ethical responsibility to only charge cases that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. We know that it is hard for women to report sexual assault.
"Even when we cannot move forward with a prosecution, our victim service representatives will be available to those who seek our victim support services."
The actor has always denied the allegations made against him.
His accuser - a woman identified as Effie - has been left "disappointed" by the outcome of the investigation.
Speaking to CNN, she explained: "I felt a duty to speak out and file a report in order to try to hold Armie accountable for all the harm and trauma he has caused me and in order to protect other women from experiencing similar abuse."
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