Actor Micheal Ward broke down in tears after a jury cleared him of ra.pe and se.xual a.ssault charges at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday
The 28-year-old, known for his role as Jamie in the Netflix series Top Boy, was cleared of two counts of ra.pe, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault after unanimously being acquitted on all five charges.
The jury reached its verdict after deliberating for five hours and 25 minutes.
Ward became visibly emotional as the verdicts were delivered, while family and friends in the public gallery reacted with relief. He was later assisted out of the courtroom by his defence lawyer.
The case stemmed from an alleged incident in January 2023, in which Ward was accused of ra.ping a woman in the back of a Mercedes after they met outside a New Year’s party in east London.
Throughout the two-week trial, Ward maintained that the encounter was consensual.
“Everything we did was wholly consensual. We engaged in consensual sex, had a great time and she was actively participating in what we were doing all the time,” he told the court.
Following the verdict, his solicitor, Humzah Ilyas, said Ward was grateful to the jury for carefully considering the evidence.
“Micheal Ward is enormously grateful to the members of the jury for taking the time to examine the evidence in this case with such care. As he maintained throughout this case, this was a consensual sexual encounter. The jury agreed and cleared him of all wrongdoing,” Ilyas said.
The solicitor added that the three-and-a-half-year police investigation had taken a significant toll on Ward’s personal life and acting career.
“It has been three and a half years since the police started investigating this matter, during which time Micheal’s life, as well as his successful career, has been put on hold.
“Micheal is thankful this process has now reached a conclusion. He looks forward to getting back to the work he loves and focusing on the future.”
Ilyas also said Ward wanted to acknowledge victims of sexual violence and abuse, stressing that they deserve to be heard, treated with compassion and have their allegations taken seriously.
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