Micheal Ward, the British actor best known for his role in hit Netflix series Top Boy, has been found not guilty of rape and sexual assault.
The Bafta Award-winning actor was accused of raping a woman in the back of a car after meeting her at a party in January 2023. He denied two charges of rape and three charges of sexual assault.
On Friday (July 10), a jury acquitted him on all counts at Snaresbrook Crown Court, East London, as reported by BBC News. He told the outlet that "everything" he and the accuser did "was wholly consensual."
Ward, who is also known for his roles in Blue Story and Empire of Light, was arrested on January 18, 2023. He 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." He was formally charged in July 2025, and was granted bail in August 2025.
In court on Friday, the actor, per BBC News, explained that he thought the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was "very cute" when he met her and sensed "there was interest there".
He said he asked her to join him in a car, where they continued to flirt. "She was reciprocating the energy. She was pulling me close. For me, that was an inviting act and we were both enjoying that moment," Ward told the court, adding that she "never mentioned anything about wanting to leave".
After the encounter, the two exchanged messages. Ward sent a smiling emoji with a heart, and the woman told him to enjoy the rest of his night.
The accuser gave a different account in court, stating that she "never would have got in that car with him" if she had known what was going to happen. She claimed the encounter was non-consensual. "Micheal raped me," she alleged, adding that she "completely shut down" and "did not use the word no" during the alleged attack.
On the way home with a friend, the woman said she ordered an STI kit, ticking a box asking if she had been sexually assaulted.
Following the accusations, Ward was dropped by UK agency Olivia Bell Management. In the United States, he continued to be represented by CAA.
