‘Top Boy’ Star Micheal Ward Cleared Of Rape, Sexual Assault Charges

Micheal Ward has been found not guilty of rape and sexual assault charges by a London court.

The 28-year-old actor was acquitted on Friday following a 10-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London.

A jury returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts on all five charges after about a day of deliberations. Ward, who had denied the allegations from the outset, became emotional as the verdicts were delivered.

He was cleared of two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault linked to an encounter with a woman in January 2023.

The case stemmed from an incident involving a woman Ward met at a New Year’s Day party in Ilford, east London. The court heard that both later travelled separately to an after-party in Stratford.

Prosecutors alleged that Ward invited the woman into the back of a Mercedes, where he sexually assaulted and raped her.

The complainant, whose identity is protected by law, told the court she repeatedly indicated that she wanted to leave the vehicle. She said she delayed reporting the incident because she initially blamed herself and felt intimidated by Ward’s status as a well-known actor.

Throughout the trial, Ward maintained that the encounter was consensual.

Giving evidence, he said he and the woman had been “friendly and flirty” throughout the evening and that there was mutual interest between them.

He told the court:

“It was what we wanted. There was mutual interest.”

Ward also rejected claims that he pressured or forced the woman, insisting he believed both of them were willing participants.

His defence team challenged parts of the prosecution’s case, including forensic evidence that found no blood on the complainant’s clothing despite her testimony that she believed there had been blood on her leggings and underwear.

After hearing evidence from both sides, the jury accepted the defence’s case and acquitted Ward on all charges.

Top Boy Co-Star Testifies In His Defence

Ward’s Top Boy co-star, Jasmine Jobson, appeared as a defence witness during the trial.

She described Ward as a close friend, calling him “my brother, a beautiful soul and a kind-hearted man.”

Jobson also told the court that the lengthy legal proceedings had severely affected Ward’s acting career, saying he had effectively put his professional life on hold for more than three years while awaiting the outcome of the case.

Ward’s lawyer echoed the same view, stating that the actor is eager to resume his career following his acquittal.

The trial was briefly interrupted after an online content creator posted comments about evidence presented in court while proceedings were still ongoing.

The judge ordered the posts to be removed and took steps to ensure jurors had not been influenced by the online content before the verdict was reached.

Ward rose to prominence after starring in the film Blue Story before gaining international recognition for his role as Jamie Tovell in Top Boy.

The Jamaican-born British actor won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2020 and has also appeared in Small Axe, Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence and Eddington.

With the criminal proceedings now concluded, Ward is expected to resume his acting career after more than three years of legal uncertainty.