Top Boy actor Michael Ward raped a woman in a car after meeting her at a London nightclub, a court has heard. The 28-year-old, who starred in Blue Story, denies two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault against one woman in January 2023.
Meeting at a Nightclub
Ward met the alleged victim for the first time at an “all-white party” at Infinity Lounge nightclub in Gants Hill, east London on January 1, prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC said. Opening the trial, the prosecutor told jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday that the “young woman” had seen Ward “on TV and in films” and he asked her for her Snapchat handle.
Events in the Car
People started to leave the event at about 2.20am on January 2 and the woman was asked to accompany Ward to the back of his friend’s Mercedes. While in the car, they kissed on the lips, with the woman consenting to him touching her vagina, the court heard. Ward, of Royal Crest Avenue, Silvertown, London, then invited her to an afterparty in Stratford and the alleged victim and her two friends agreed they would attend and then return to Suffolk.
Afterparty and Alleged Assaults
Jurors were told the alleged victim got a “weird vibe” at the party, which was mostly attended by men, and the women left a short time later after speaking to a few people. Once outside, the alleged victim said she saw Ward, and he asked her where she was going. She told him they were leaving as they had a long drive home but he suggested she walk up to a car that was parked further up the road so he could talk to her again. The woman said she was given specific instructions to walk behind him, and not to talk to anyone en route, the court heard.
Sexual Assault Allegations
Ward got into the driver’s seat and the woman into the passenger side, with the actor kissing her and then inviting her to climb into the back seat. Ms Ayling said Ward “became quite impatient” and told her to “stop wasting time” after she initially said he could kiss her in the front seat, the court heard. After getting into the back seat, Ward sexually assaulted her by kissing her breasts and she told him “I don’t wanna do that”, jurors were told. While in the car, Ward committed assault by penetration of her vagina and anus with his fingers, the court heard. The woman told him “this was not a situation she wanted to be in” and “feeling uncomfortable” opened the car door, but Ward “quite sternly told her to close it”, jurors were told.
Victim's Account
In an interview with police on January 13 2023, which was played to jurors, the alleged victim said: “I tried to leave the vehicle and he told me to close the door.” The woman told police she felt “numb” and “scared” during the alleged assaults, adding she remembered “wanting it all to be over”. Ward is alleged to have then orally raped the woman while the victim felt “pressured” and then also raped her in the car. The court heard Ward told the woman: “When I tell you to suck my d***, what do you do?”
Aftermath and Messages
Following the alleged assaults, the woman walked to her friend’s car and Ward messaged her a “teary-eyed emoji and a heart emoji” with her replying by telling him to “enjoy the rest of his evening”. The woman was in pain on the way home and “experienced a stinging pain in her vagina and bottom”, jurors were told. She ordered an STI kit while driving back and ticked a box asking if she had been sexually assaulted. The woman exchanged some messages with Ward following the alleged assaults “in friendly terms” because she “hadn’t fully come to terms with what had actually happened to her”, Ms Ayling said.
Arrest and Denial
Jurors were told the woman did not make an immediate report to the police because she did not “really understand what had happened” and “because of who he is, she didn’t feel she could speak out”. Ward was arrested on January 18 2023 and told police in a prepared statement: “I deny the allegation of rape. I want to put on record that we had consensual foreplay and consensual sex.”
Actor's Background
Ward was awarded the Bafta rising star honour in 2020 and was nominated for the best supporting actor Bafta for his role in BBC’s Small Axe in 2021 and the 2022 film Empire Of Light. The Jamaican-born actor played in the Soccer Aid match at Stamford Bridge in 2024 and gave a reading at the Christmas Eve carol service hosted by the Princess of Wales in 2023. He also appeared in the American film Eddington alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, which was released last August. The trial continues.
