Top Boy star Micheal Ward 'was intent on his own pleasure' and 'wanted quick sex in the back of a car' when he allegedly raped a woman, court hears

Published: 19:28, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 19:34, 8 July 2026 Top Boy actor Micheal Ward placed his own pleasure above the welfare of a woman he assaulted in the back of a Mercedes, a court heard.  The Bafta-winning actor is accused of repeatedly assaulting the woman in his friend's car after hosting an 'all white' clothing party at a club in Gants Hill, London, on New Year's Day 2023. Ward, of Silvertown in the capital, denies two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault against the woman in Newham, east London. Ward, 28, was concerned only with 'his own pleasure come what may' and the alleged victim felt 'pressured', prosecutors told Snaresbrook Crown Court during closing speeches on Wednesday.  Ward forced himself on to the woman in the back of a cramped A-Class Mercedes, it is claimed, after the pair attended an 'after-party'. Taylor Ayling KC, prosecuting, told jurors in her closing speech: 'What was the rush to have sex if he was going to see her again? 'Did Mr Ward think anything about her at all, or was he intent on his own pleasure, come what may?' Ms Ayling suggested Ward was 'only interested in his own gratification and was controlling and thoughtless of her feelings and, more importantly, ignored whether she was consenting or not.' Top Boy star Micheal Ward is accused of raping and sexually assaulting a woman. He denies all charges (pictured at an earlier hearing in August 2025) Ward rose to fame on the Netflix revival of Channel 4 series Top Boy as Jamie (pictured). The drama explores the world of drug dealers in Hackney, east London There was no evidence to suggest the woman consented, the prosecutor said, describing Ward's encounter with the woman he had just met as 'risky and aggressive'. 'No one is too busy to text, and yet there is no contact between them that would suggest she had a great night or that she wanted to repeat the experience,' Ms Ayling said. 'There is certainly no contact to suggest that he wanted to see her again. 'We suggest that Mr Ward had no thought for her. His intention was to have sex. He was not interested in her consent or non-consent. 'It was quick sex in the back of the car because he fancied it that night.' In response, defence counsel Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC described the complainant as not being 'consistent' and she had 'told a series of lies that go to the heart of this matter'.  'She has told them to the police and she has told them to you', Ms Bennett-Jenkins added.  The court heard the woman told police she had deleted exchanged messages with Ward 18 months after her original interview. Her friends have also been asked to share screenshots of their conversations with her.  Ward later appeared opposite Olivia Colman in Sam Mendes' 2022 drama Empire of Light Ms Bennett-Jenkins said the woman claimed she had blood on her clothing, but forensic tests found nothing. She also 'flipped one way and then the other' over whether the pair had flirted before the alleged assault. She told the jury: 'There are three at the very least significant areas where the woman can be demonstrated not to have told the truth. 'Is that a witness upon who you can rely? I suggest not.' Ward's defence lawyers said: 'Two young people who are attracted to each other engaged in physical contact when Micheal Ward at all times believed to be consensual.'  Directing the jury, Judge Rosa Dean said: 'This is a case where two young people had sex in the back of a car and your job is to decide if there was consent.'  She said the jury would also need to consider whether there was a reasonable belief of consent in the circumstances. The prosecution suggests Ward 'did not care less' while the defence says 'all her actions suggest she was consenting'.  The woman claims she was assaulted by Ward at the London party, which took place during a break in the actor's work schedule before the release of an upcoming film.  The pair kissed and hugged in the car outside the party, the court heard, before having an intimate encounter in another Mercedes outside an after-party event.  The woman 'does not deny that what happened in the first car was consensual', Ms Ayling told the jury. After noting the woman admitted to finding Ward 'attractive', Ms Ayling added: 'If she has not been raped, would it not be more of a feather in her cap? 'What would make her say she was raped? If it was to ruin his career, there is no evidence that was the motivation.' Ms Ayling added: 'The crown's case is that she told the absolute truth in 2023. 'You need to take great care not to be judgmental or stereotyped when you come to your conclusions.' Ward was described as 'honest and trustworthy' in a series of character witnesses who knew him at a 'granular level', including his ex-girlfriend, a talent agent and a Top Boy co-star.   After the alleged assaults, the woman walked to her friend's car and Ward messaged her a 'teary-eyed emoji and a heart emoji'. She replied by telling him to 'enjoy the rest of his evening'. Ms Bennett-Jenkins said 'that is not a man who is hell-bent on getting his own way', adding that he asked her to message him when she arrived home safely. 'This is a case where two young adults had sex in the back of a car after a party. It is not as unusual as Ms Ayling would like you to think,' Ms Bennett-Jenkins added.  The lawyer said: 'He is a young man who acts in films. He is not someone who found it easy to talk about real experiences, his real life, and to lay bare his experiences in front of you. 'At the time of the allegation he was 25. He has come from what one might describe as a humble upbringing. 'He grew up without a dad as his dad was tragically killed in a car crash.' Ms Bennett-Jenkins told the jury that Ward was raised with his sisters by his mother, with a 'deep respect for women'. 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.' He was later charged on July 25, 2025.  Micheal Ward made his name as one of the cult hit Blue Story in 2019, based on a real life gang war in South London. The same year, he appeared in the Netflix revival of Channel 4 series Top Boy, which revolves around drug dealers in Hackney in the east of the Capital.  His first on-screen appearance was in the 2016 film Brotherhood. His early flurry of eye-catching roles saw him awarded the Rising Star prize at the Bafta Film Awards in 2020. Ward then appeared in the BBC's Small Axe in 2021 and the 2022 film Empire Of Light, for which he received best supporting actor nods from Bafta, before appearing in the fourth series of Top Boy. Once touted as a future James Bond, Ward modelled for Burberry and gave a reading at the Christmas Eve carol service hosted by the Princess of Wales in 2023. He also played in the Soccer Aid match at Stamford Bridge in 2024, the same year he shared the screen with Bill Nighy in Netflix football drama The Beautiful Game. Last year, he appeared opposite Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in neo-Western thriller Eddington, and was attached to Uncle, a 'revenge thriller' directed by Joe Marcantonio, prior to being charged. According to a British Council listing of UK films in production, Ward remains attached to the film in a lead role.  Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.