Bafta-winning actor, Michael Ward, allegedly r@ped a woman in a car after meeting her at a nightclub, a court has been told.
The 28-year-old, who starred in Top Boy and Blue Story, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of r@pe, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of s£xual ass@ult against one woman in January 2023.
Prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC opened the trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday.
She said that Ward met his alleged victim for the first time at an “all-white party” at Infinity Lounge nightclub in Gant’s Hill, east London, on New Year’s Day.
The “young woman” had seen Ward “on TV and in films” and he asked her for her Snapchat handle, Ms Ayling said.
People started to leave the event around 2.20am on 2 January, and the woman was asked to accompany Ward to the back of his friend’s Mercedes.
While in the car, they kissed on the lips, the court heard.
Ward then invited her to an afterparty in Stratford, and the alleged victim and her two friends agreed they would attend, before returning to Suffolk.
Jurors were told the alleged victim got a “weird vibe” at the party, which was mostly attended by men, and the women left a short time later after speaking to a few people.
Once outside, the alleged victim said she saw Ward, and he asked her where she was going.
She told him they were leaving as they had a long drive home, but he suggested that she walk up to a car that was parked further up the road so he could talk to her again.
The woman said that she was given specific instructions to walk behind him, and not to talk to anyone en route, the court heard.
Ward got into the driver’s seat and the woman into the passenger side. The actor kissed her and then invited her to climb into the back seat.
Ms Ayling said Ward “became quite impatient” and told her to “stop wasting time” after she initially said he could kiss her in the front seat, the court heard.
After getting into the back seat, Ward sexually assaulted her, and she told him “I don’t wanna do that”, jurors were told.
The woman exchanged some messages with Ward following the alleged assaults “in friendly terms” because she “hadn’t fully come to terms with what had actually happened to her”, Ms Ayling said.
Jurors were told the woman did not make an immediate report to the police because she did not “really understand what had happened” and “because of who he is, she didn’t feel she could speak out”.
Ward, who was arrested on 18 January 2023, 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 s£x.”
The woman told him “this was not a situation she wanted to be in” and “feeling uncomfortable” opened the car door, but Ward “quite sternly told her to close it”, jurors were told.
Ward is alleged to have then r@ped the woman in the car.
Following the alleged ass@ults, the woman walked to her friend’s car, and Ward messaged her a “teary-eyed emoji and a heart emoji”, with her replying by telling him to “enjoy the rest of his evening”.
The woman was in pain on the way home, jurors were told.
She ordered an STI kit while driving back, and ticked a box asking if she had been s£xu@lly ass@ulted.
Ward was awarded the Bafta rising star honour in 2020 and was nominated for the best supporting actor Bafta for his role in BBC’s Small Axe in 2021 and the 2022 film Empire Of Light.
The Jamaican-born actor played in the Soccer Aid match at Stamford Bridge in 2024 and gave a reading at the Christmas Eve carol service hosted by the Princess of Wales in 2023.
He also appeared in the American film Eddington alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, which was released last August.