Micheal Ward sobbed in the dock at Snaresbrook crown court as a jury returned unanimous not guilty verdicts on all five charges against him — two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault. The 28-year-old, best known for his role in the crime drama Top Boy and Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, had denied the allegations throughout the 10-day trial.
The charges arose from an encounter with a woman whom Ward met at a New Year’s Day party in Ilford, east London, in 2023 before the pair travelled separately to an after-party in Stratford. Prosecutors alleged that Ward sexually assaulted and raped the woman in the back of a Mercedes after inviting her into the vehicle. The complainant, who cannot be named, told the court she repeatedly indicated she wanted to leave and had felt intimidated by Ward’s fame, delaying her report to police because she initially blamed herself for what had happened. She said she had been left in pain and believed there had been blood on her clothing.
“Top Boy actor Micheal Ward sobbed as he was found not guilty of raping a woman in a car after a 10-day trial.”
Ward told jurors that the pair had been “friendly and flirty” during the evening and insisted she had been “a willing participant in everything that was going on”. “It was what we wanted,” he said. “There was mutual interest.” His defence argued that the prosecution’s account was undermined by forensic evidence, which showed that examinations of the complainant’s clothing found no blood, despite her recollection of blood on her leggings and underwear.
Ward was arrested later that month and, in a prepared statement to police, denied rape, saying the pair had engaged in consensual sexual activity. The court heard evidence from the actor Jasmine Jobson, Ward’s Top Boy co-star, who described him as “my brother” and said she had been “in total shock” when she learned of the allegations. Jobson told jurors she had always known Ward to be “a beautiful soul” and “a kind-hearted man”, adding that she had never felt uncomfortable around him. She said the charges had in effect halted his acting career for more than three years while the case was pending.
The trial was briefly interrupted after a social media influencer with more than half a million followers, Murad Merali, a YouTuber known for celebrity content, was removed from the court over videos he had posted online commenting on evidence while proceedings were ongoing. After a day of deliberations, the jury cleared Ward of all charges, prompting emotional scenes in court. The verdict brings an end to a case that had hung over the actor’s career since early 2023.
