Actor Micheal Ward, known for his roles in the Netflix crime series “Top Boy” and Ari Aster’s feature “Eddington,” was acquitted on charges of rape and sexual assault by a London jury on Friday, per the BBC.
A woman had accused the 28-year-old actor of raping and sexually assaulting her in January 2023 after the two had met in a London nightclub, alleging that Ward had attacked her in the back of a car. Ward was arrested later that month and gave the police a prepared statement: “I deny the allegation of rape. I want to put on record that we had consensual foreplay and consensual sex.”
Ward faced two charges of rape and three charges of sexual assault in the 10-day trial. The actor denied the allegations to the jury, saying, “Everything we did was wholly consensual.”
A legal representative for Ward did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
The BBC reports that Ward told the jury that he had been “having a great time” with the unnamed woman, claiming that he had invited her to join him in a car where there was a “continuation of flirting.”
“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 jury.
The unnamed woman told the jury she denied consent, telling the jury that she “completely shut down” during the alleged attack. She also claimed that she had told Ward that she had to leave “on multiple occasions” and that she indicated that she was sexually assaulted when ordering an STI kit afterwards.
Ward first rose to prominence with his role as Jamie Tovell in the British crime series “Top Boy,” in which he featured as a main cast member for Series 3 and Series 4. He also led Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” installation “Lovers Rock” and features in “Eddington,” “Empire of Light” and “The Old Guard.” In 2020, he was honored with BAFTA’s Rising Star Award.
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