Michael Ward: Top Boy Actor Beats Major Sexual Assault Charges in the UK

Micheal Ward, the British actor best known for his role in the Netflix series Top Boy and the film Blue Story, has been found not guilty sexual assault following a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London.

The jury returned a verdict on Friday, clearing Ward, 28, of the charges of sexual assault. He had consistently denied all charges throughout the proceedings.

BBC reported that Ward and the complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, first crossed paths at an east London nightclub on 2 January 2023. The actor told the jury he found the woman attractive and sensed mutual interest, and that he invited her to join him in a car where the pair continued to flirt.

"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 said during his testimony. He added that she "never mentioned anything about wanting to leave" and appeared "absolutely fine" throughout their conversation, which he described as "nice and engaging."

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The woman gave a starkly different account, breaking down in court as she described the encounter. She told the jury she "completely shut down" and did not use the word "no" during the alleged attack, but said she told Ward on multiple occasions that she needed to leave.

She also said she would have "never would have got in that car with him" had she known what would happen. While travelling home afterwards with a friend, she ordered an STI testing kit, ticking a box indicating she believed she had been sexually assaulted.

Following the verdict, Ward said: "Everything we did was wholly consensual."

Source: YEN.com.gh