Michael Ward denies rape allegations in east London court case

A woman told Snaresbrook Crown Court that Michael Ward raped her in a car after they met at an east London nightclub, rejecting his claim that the encounter was consensual.

The complainant, who cannot be named, said she "did not understand the situation" she was in.

Ward first met the woman at an "all-white party" at Infinity Lounge nightclub in Gant’s Hill on New Year’s Day. He asked for her Snapchat handle, then later asked her to accompany him to the back of his friend’s Mercedes after people began leaving an afterparty in Stratford, where the alleged offences took place in January 2023.

Ward denies two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault against one woman. He was arrested on 18 January 2023 and later told police: "I deny the allegation of rape. I want to put on record that we had consensual foreplay and consensual sex." The Metropolitan Police charged him on 25 July 2025 after the Crown Prosecution Service authorised the case, and the charges relate to one woman and alleged offences in January 2023.

The complainant described Ward as "overpowering" and said she "didn't really feel like I had a choice."

Ward won the EE Rising Star BAFTA in 2020 and is best known for Top Boy and Blue Story, with further credits including Small Axe, Empire of Light and The Old Guard.