Top Boy actor Micheal Ward 'raped woman in a car after party', court hears

Top Boy actor Micheal Ward raped a woman in a car after meeting her at a nightclub party, a court has been told.

The 28-year-old BAFTA winner denies two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault, against one woman. He told police after his arrest in 2023 that they had consensual sex.

At the opening of his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, jurors were told by the prosecution that Ward met the alleged victim for the first time at a party at Infinity Lounge nightclub in Gant's Hill, east London, on 1 January 2023.

The "young woman" had seen the actor "on TV and in films" and he asked her for her Snapchat handle, prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC said.

As people started to leave the event in the early hours of 2 January, the woman was asked to accompany Ward to the back of his friend's Mercedes, where they kissed and she consented to him touching her sexually, the court heard.

Ward, of Silvertown, London, then invited the woman to an after party in nearby Stratford, and she and her two friends agreed to go.

The alleged victim got a "weird vibe" at the party, which was mostly attended by men, and left with her friends a short time later, jurors were told.

She said she saw Ward outside and after telling him she was leaving, he suggested she walk to a car parked further up the road as he wanted to talk to her.

The woman said she was given specific instructions to walk behind him, and not to talk to anyone on the way, the court heard.

Ward allegedly got into the driver's seat and kissed her, then invited her to move into the back seat. He became "quite impatient", Ms Ayling said, allegedly telling the woman to "stop wasting time" when she initially said he could kiss her in the front seat.

After getting into the back seat, Ward sexually assaulted the woman by kissing her breasts, Ms Ayling continued. The woman, whose police interview footage was played in court, says she told him, "I don't wanna do that".

The actor then twice committed assault by penetration, the court heard. The woman said she told him "this was not a situation she wanted to be in" and opened the car door as she felt uncomfortable, but Ward "quite sternly told her to close it", jurors were told.

The actor is alleged to have orally raped the woman, who said she felt "pressured", and then raped her, the court heard.

Afterwards, the woman walked to her friend's car and Ward messaged her a "teary-eyed emoji and a heart emoji". She replied, telling him to "enjoy the rest of his evening".

The woman said she was in pain on the way home and ordered an STI kit, ticking a box asking if she had been sexually assaulted.

Ms Ayling said the woman exchanged some messages with Ward "in friendly terms" as she had not "fully come to terms" with the alleged assault, and so did not make an immediate report to the police.

She also felt that "because of who he is, she didn't feel she could speak out", jurors were told.

Ward was arrested on 18 January 2023 and told police in a statement: "I deny the allegation of rape. I want to put on record that we had consensual foreplay and consensual sex."

The Jamaican-born British actor was awarded the BAFTA rising star honour in 2020 and has twice been nominated for best supporting actor - for his role in the Small Axe anthology series in 2021 and the 2022 film Empire Of Light.

He also appeared in Blue Story and the US Western film Eddington, which was released last August.

The trial continues.

(c) Sky News 2026: Top Boy actor Micheal Ward 'raped woman in a car after party', court hears