‘Top Boy’ Star Micheal Ward Found Not Guilty of Rape

Top Boy star Micheal Ward reportedly broke down in tears after being cleared of raping a woman in a London court on Friday.

The 28-year-old, who won BAFTA’s rising star award in 2020, had denied two charges of rape and three charges of sexual assault. The allegations came from a woman whom he met at an east London nightclub in January 2023. She claimed the star had attacked her in the back of a car.

A jury acquitted him on all counts after a two-week trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, according to BBC News. Ward, also known for roles in Ari Aster’s Eddington and the film Blue Story, said: “Everything we did was wholly consensual.”

During the trial, the actor told the jury he thought they were “having a great time,” believing the woman to be “very cute… 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 added that she “never mentioned anything about wanting to leave.”

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was visibly emotional as she gave a different account, according to the BBC. She told the jury that she would “never have got in the car with [Ward]” if she’d known what was to happen and that she “completely shut down.” She said she told Ward she wanted to leave “on multiple occasions.”

The actor reportedly became emotional as each count was read out, and burst into tears when cleared of all charges.

The young, Jamaican-born star is best known for his role as Jamie in Netflix’s BAFTA-winning Top Boy. In 2020, he was honored with the British Academy’s rising star award. In 2022, he starred in the Sam Mendes drama Empire of Light, earning a BAFTA nomination in the supporting actor category.

Earlier this year, he joined Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler on the Cannes red carpet for the premiere of Aster’s latest neo-Western black comedy Eddington, in which Ward played police officer Michael.