Top Boy actor Micheal Ward has been charged with two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault and is due to appear in court next month.
The 27-year-old actor, who played drug dealer Jamie in the hit Netflix crime drama, will appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 28 August following charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service.
In a statement, Catherine Baccas, deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS London South, said: “Having carefully reviewed a file of evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Micheal Ward, 27, with two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault against a woman in January 2023.”
“He will appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 28 August 2025. We remind all concerned that proceedings against the suspect are active and he has a right to a fair trial.”
Police Investigation and Support
The charges relate to one woman and are reported to have taken place in January 2023. Ward, of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, was charged following an investigation by Metropolitan Police detectives.
Detective Superintendent Scott Ware, whose team is leading the Met’s investigation, said: “Our specialist officers continue to support the woman who has come forward – we know investigations of this nature can have significant impact on those who make reports.”
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the charges in a statement, listing two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The force urged responsible reporting in line with guidance from the Attorney General’s Office.
Award-Winning Career
Ward, born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on 18 November 1997, rose to prominence playing Jamie in Netflix’s revival of Top Boy from 2019 to 2022. The character was a young, ambitious drug dealer who became a central figure in the London-based crime drama.
The actor won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2020 for his performance in the film Blue Story. He received critical acclaim for his role in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe: Lovers Rock, earning a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2021.
Most recently, Ward starred opposite Olivia Colman in Sam Mendes’ 2022 drama Empire of Light, for which he received another BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The film marked Colman’s first on-screen kiss with a man in her decades-long career.
Thames Magistrates’ Court Appearance
Thames Magistrates’ Court, located at 58 Bow Road in East London, handles criminal cases in the capital. All criminal cases begin in magistrates’ courts before potentially being transferred to the Crown Court for more serious offences.
Rape cases are considered indictable offences and are typically passed to the Crown Court after initial proceedings at magistrates’ court. The court will decide whether Ward should be kept in custody or released on bail pending further proceedings.
Legal Warnings
Catherine Baccas emphasised: “It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings.”
Under UK law, defendants have the right to a fair trial, and any material that could prejudice proceedings is subject to contempt of court regulations.
Ward has appeared in other productions including The Old Guard (2020) alongside Charlize Theron and The Book of Clarence (2023). He was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2020 and became a British citizen in 2015.
The actor’s representatives have not yet commented on the charges.
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Image Credit:
Empire of Light BFI 12 Oct 2022 – Image by Ibsan73, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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