Top Boy actor Micheal Ward arrived at Snaresbrook Crown Court on June 29, 2026, to stand trial for multiple charges of rape and sexual assault. The 28-year-old actor is accused of five offences relating to one woman, with the incidents allegedly occurring in January 2023.
Alleged Incident at Nightclub
Prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC told jurors that Ward met his alleged victim for the first time at an 'all-white party' at Infinity Lounge nightclub in Gant's Hill, east London, on January 1, 2023. The woman had seen Ward 'on TV and in films,' and he asked for her Snapchat username. As guests left around 2:30am on January 2, the woman was invited to join Ward in the back of his friend's Mercedes, where they kissed and she consented to his touching her vagina.
Afterparty and Assault
Ward then invited her to an afterparty in Stratford. The woman and her two friends agreed to attend before returning to Suffolk. At the second party, she felt a 'weird vibe' as it was mostly attended by men, and left shortly after. Outside, Ward asked where she was going and suggested she walk to a parked car to talk further. The court heard she was instructed to walk behind him and not talk to anyone. Ward got into the driver's seat, and she entered the passenger side. He kissed her and invited her to the back. When she initially said he could just kiss her in the front, Ward 'became quite impatient' and told her to 'stop wasting time,' according to Ms Ayling.
Once in the back seat, Ward allegedly sexually assaulted her by kissing her breasts. She told him, 'I don't wanna do that.' He then allegedly committed assault by penetration of her vagina and anus with his fingers. The woman told him she did not want to be in that situation and opened the car door, but Ward 'quite sternly' instructed her to close it. Ward is then alleged to have orally raped her, with the victim feeling 'pressured.' The actor reportedly told her: 'When I tell you to suck my d**k, what do you do?'
Aftermath and Arrest
After the alleged assaults, the woman returned to her friend's car. Ward messaged her a 'teary-eyed emoji and a heart emoji,' to which she replied telling him to 'enjoy the rest of [his] evening.' She experienced pain on the way home, including a 'stinging pain in her vagina and bottom,' and ordered an STI kit, ticking a box indicating she had been sexually assaulted. She continued exchanging messages with Ward on 'friendly terms,' having not 'fully come to terms with what had actually happened.' Ms Ayling said the woman did not immediately report to police because she did not 'really understand' what she experienced and, due to Ward's status, 'didn't feel she could speak out.'
Ward was arrested on January 18, 2023. In a prepared statement, he said: 'I deny the allegation of rape. I want to put on record that we had consensual foreplay and consensual sex.' He added: 'I recognise that proceedings are now ongoing, and I have full faith that they will lead to my name being cleared.' Last August, he was granted bail on condition he did not contact the alleged victim. Ward is best known for Top Boy, but also appeared in Blue Story, Eddington, and Small Axe. He won the Bafta Rising Star award in 2020 and has been nominated for best supporting actor twice.
