British actor, Micheal Ward, widely known for his role in the television crime drama, Top Boy, has been found not guilty of rape and sexual assault charges by a London court.
The 28-year-old actor was acquitted on Friday after a 10-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London.
The jury returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts on all five charges after deliberating for about a day.
Ward, who had consistently denied wrongdoing, became emotional as the verdicts were announced in court.
He was cleared of two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault arising from an encounter with a woman in January 2023.
The charges related to an encounter between Ward and a woman he met at a New Year’s Day party in Ilford, east London, in 2023.
The court heard that Ward and the woman later travelled separately to an after-party in Stratford.
Prosecutors alleged that the actor 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 that she repeatedly indicated that she wanted to leave the vehicle.
She said she delayed reporting the incident to the police because she initially blamed herself and felt intimidated by Ward’s status as a well-known actor.
The prosecution maintained during the trial that Ward had ignored the woman’s unwillingness to continue with the encounter.
Ward denied the allegations throughout the investigation and trial, insisting that the sexual activity between him and the complainant was consensual.
Giving evidence before the jury, the actor said he and the woman had been “friendly and flirty” during the evening and had shown mutual interest in each other.
“It was what we wanted. There was mutual interest,” he told the court.
Ward said he believed the pair were enjoying themselves and rejected suggestions that he had pressured or overpowered the woman.
He had also denied rape in a prepared statement given to the police after his arrest in January 2023, maintaining that the encounter was consensual.
The actor’s defence team challenged the prosecution’s version of events and raised questions about parts of the complainant’s evidence.
Among the issues highlighted was forensic evidence showing that no blood was found on the woman’s clothing, despite her testimony that she believed there had been blood on her leggings and underwear.
Following the trial, the jury accepted the defence case and acquitted Ward of all charges.
