Actor and star of Top Boy, Micheal Ward is currently in trial facing charges of rape and assault be penetrations – claims he denies
Actor Micheal Ward(Image: Getty Images)
Top Boy actor Micheal Ward raped a woman in a car after meeting her at a nightclub, a court has been told. The 28-year-old, who starred in Blue Story, has denied two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault against one woman in January 2023.
Bafta-winning actor Ward met the alleged victim for the first time at an “all-white party” at Infinity Lounge nightclub in Gant’s Hill, east London, on January 1, according to prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC. As the prosecutor opened the trial, they told jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court that the “young woman” had seen Ward “on TV and in films”.
It’s alleged he asked her for her Snapchat handle. As people began leaving the event at around 2.20am on January 2, the woman was allegedly asked to join Ward in the back of his friend’s Mercedes.
The pair kissed on the lips while in the vehicle. The woman is also said to have consented to the actor touching her vagina, the court heard. It’s claimed Ward went on to invite the woman to an afterparty. It’s said the the alleged victim and her two friends agreed they would attend before returning home.
Jurors were told the alleged victim got a “weird vibe” at the party. It’s said the party was made up of mainly men. The women left a short time later after those spoke to a number of people. When she got outside, the alleged victim was asked by Ward where she was going.
She told the actor the group had a long drive home so were leaving. Ward is said to have suggested walking her up to a car that was parked further up the road so he could talk to her again.
The court then heard how the woman said she was given specific instructions to walk behind him, and not to talk to anyone en route. Ward is said to have got into the driver’s seat and the woman into the passenger side.
The actor is alleged to have kissed her before inviting her to join him in the back seat. Ms Ayling claimed Ward “became quite impatient” and told her to “stop wasting time” after she initially said he could kiss her in the front seat.
The pair are said to have got in the back seat and Ward allegedly sexually assaulted her by kissing her breasts. She is said to have told him “I don’t wanna do that”.
The court heard that while they were in the car, Ward committed assault by penetration of her vagina and anus with his fingers. The woman told the actor “this was not a situation she wanted to be in”. She is said to have been “feeling uncomfortable” and opened the car door.
However, Ward “quite sternly told her to close it”, jurors were told. Part of a police interview was played to the jurors. In it, the alleged victim said: “I tried to leave the vehicle and he told me to close the door.”
Ward is alleged to have then orally raped the woman while the victim felt “pressured”. He is then said to have raped her in the car.
The court heard Ward allegedly told the woman: “When I tell you to suck my d**k, what do you do?” The woman is said to have walked to her friend’s car after the assault before Ward messaged her a “teary-eyed emoji and a heart emoji”. She replied by telling him to “enjoy the rest of his evening”.
Jurors heard that the woman was in pain on the way home and “experienced a stinging pain in her vagina and bottom. While driving home, she ordered an STI kit and ticked a box asking if she had been sexually assaulted.
Following the alleged assaults, the woman exchanged several messages with Ward. They are said to have been in “friendly terms” because she “hadn’t fully come to terms with what had actually happened to her”, Ms Ayling said.
Jurors heard the woman didn’t make an immediate report to the police as she did not “really understand what had happened”. It’s also claimed that “because of who he is, she didn’t feel she could speak out”.
Ward was arrested on January 18 2023. In a prepared statement, he told police: “I deny the allegation of rape. I want to put on record that we had consensual foreplay and consensual sex.”
The trial continues.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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