The alleged rape victim of Top Boy actor Micheal Ward has described how she tried to leave the car before he overpowered and assaulted her, the court heard on the second day of his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Alleged victim recounts night of assault
The 28-year-old actor, known for his role in Top Boy, denies two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault against the woman. The alleged incident took place in East London in 2023. The court watched the woman's police interviews, in which she claimed Ward 'overpowered' her.
The pair allegedly met at an 'all-white party' at Infinity Lounge nightclub in Gant's Hill on January 1, 2023. They consensually kissed and touched before heading to an afterparty. The alleged victim and her two friends agreed to attend the second party before returning to Suffolk. Jurors were told on the first day of the trial that she felt a 'weird vibe' at the second party, mostly attended by men, so left after a short time.
Attempt to leave the vehicle
Ward saw her outside and asked her to go to a car to talk. She said she was given specific instructions to walk behind him and not to talk to anyone en route. In a police interview conducted 12 days after the incident, she recalled: 'I tried to leave the vehicle and he told me to close the door.' She said she felt 'scared' and 'numb' during the assaults, and was just 'wanting it all to be over.'
Ward is alleged to have sexually assaulted the woman by kissing her breasts after they got into the back seat. He is then accused of committing assault by penetration of her vagina and anus with his fingers. The woman alleged that Ward told her: 'If I tell you to do it, you do it.' 'I didn't really feel like I had a choice,' she continued. 'I said I didn't want to do it.'
Further allegations and aftermath
Ward is also alleged to have orally raped the woman, with the victim feeling 'pressured.' While driving back, she was in pain and ordered an STI kit, ticking a box to say she had been sexually assaulted. In a second interview on July 29, 2024, she added: 'He didn't respect what I was saying. All he cared about was what he wanted.' The woman said Ward was 'overpowering,' adding: 'As soon as he made me get into the back of the car, the atmosphere completely changed.'
'I genuinely believed if I did what he asked I could leave,' she told police through tears. 'I just didn't feel like I had a choice but to be there.' Discussing phone messages she sent to Ward after the alleged assaults that were initially not handed over to police by her, the woman said: 'I don't know why I chose to hide from them that we had a conversation after it happened.' She was 'embarrassed,' adding: 'I just didn't really feel like I had an explanation as to why I replied.'
Ward's denial and career
Ward was arrested on January 18, 2023, and 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.' Prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC told jurors that the 'young woman' had seen Ward 'on TV and in films,' and he asked her for her Snapchat username. Ward is best known for Top Boy, but also appeared in Blue Story, Eddington, and Small Axe. He won the Bafta Rising Star honour in 2020, as well as being nominated for best supporting actor twice. Last August, he made bail on the condition that he did not contact the alleged victim, again denying the allegations.
