A woman has told a court that she “didn’t really feel like I had a choice” as she was raped in a car by “overpowering” Top Boy actor Micheal Ward. The Bafta-winning actor is on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, accused of raping the woman after meeting her at a nightclub in east London.
Alleged assault after nightclub meeting
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 the woman on January 2, 2023. The court heard that at an afterparty in Stratford, London, Ward asked the woman to go to a car to talk. She was given specific instructions to walk behind him and not to talk to anyone en route.
In a police interview on January 13, 2023, played to jurors, the alleged victim said: “I tried to leave the vehicle and he told me to close the door.” Describing the alleged assault, she told police: “He said: ‘If I tell you to do it, you do it.’”
Woman felt 'numb' and 'scared'
Asked how she felt during the alleged assaults, the woman said she felt “numb” and “scared”, adding she remembered “wanting it all to be over”. She added: “I didn’t really feel like I had a choice. I said I didn’t want to do it.”
In a second interview on July 29, 2024, also played to jurors, the woman said: “He didn’t respect what I was saying. All he cared about was what he wanted.” She described Ward as “overpowering”, adding: “As soon as he made me get into the back of the car, the atmosphere completely changed.”
Phone messages after alleged assault
The woman, who cried as she spoke to police, said: “I genuinely believed if I did what he asked I could leave. I just didn’t feel like I had a choice but to be there.” Discussing phone messages she sent to Ward after the alleged assaults that were initially not handed over to police, she said: “I don’t know why I chose to hide from them that we had a conversation after it happened.” She said she was “embarrassed”, adding: “I just didn’t really feel like I had an explanation as to why I replied.”
Ward's career and denial
Ward was awarded the Bafta rising star honour in 2020 and was nominated for 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, released last August.
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.” The trial continues.
