Allegations Against Actor Micheal Ward
A court has been presented with allegations that award-winning actor Micheal Ward raped and sexually assaulted a woman shortly after meeting her at a bar in London in 2023.
The 28-year-old actor, recognized for his leading roles in the film Blue Story and the Netflix series Top Boy, is accused of committing the alleged attack inside a car.
Details from Police Interview
During the first day of his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday, jurors heard a police interview with the woman involved. She described feeling "numb" and "scared" during the alleged assaults and recalled
"wanting it all to be over".
Ward denies two charges of rape and three counts of sexual assault, maintaining that all sexual activity between them was consensual.
Meeting and Events Leading to Alleged Incident
The alleged victim recounted meeting Ward for the first time at a party held at a nightclub in north-east London. Jurors were informed that she was aware of Ward's film and television career and felt flattered when he requested her Snapchat handle.
She was invited to accompany him to the back of a friend's Mercedes, where they kissed and she consented to intimate touching, according to the trial proceedings.
The court was told that Ward subsequently invited the woman and her friends to an afterparty at a different location. It is alleged that the rape and sexual assault occurred in a car near this second party.
In her police interview, the woman stated:
"I tried to leave the vehicle and he told me to close the door."
Ward's Response and Background
After his arrest, Ward appeared in court on Monday wearing a blue shirt and burgundy tie. In a police statement, he said:
"I deny the allegation of rape. I want to put on record that we had consensual foreplay and consensual sex."
Born in Jamaica and raised in London, Ward received the BAFTA Rising Star award in 2020. He gained recognition for his portrayal of gang leader and drug dealer Jamie in the crime series Top Boy and for his role as Marco in Blue Story, a narrative about rivalry in south London's streets.
