Prosecutors in Nantucket have dropped their sexual assault case against Kevin Spacey, after growing concern about a missing piece of evidence.

The 59-year-old actor was accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old in a Nantucket bar in 2016.

Spacey insisted in court filings that the pair spent an enjoyable night together and engaged in "mutual and consensual flirting".

The accuser told police that he had texted his girlfriend during the encounter.

The phone was handed over to police, but then disappeared. Police insisted it was returned to the family; the family say it was not.

Moreover, the accuser's mother admitted to deleting some material on the phone - an admission which was seized upon by Spacey's legal team.