Bafta-winning actor Michael Ward has been found not guilty of rape and sexual assault after a jury unanimously cleared him following a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
The 28-year-old Top Boy star had denied two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault relating to an encounter with a woman after a New Year's party in east London in January 2023.
On Friday, jurors returned unanimous not guilty verdicts on all five charges after deliberating for five hours and 25 minutes.
Ward stood quietly in the dock with his hand covering his mouth as each verdict was read aloud before breaking down in tears. He then leaned on his defence barrister as he left the courtroom, while members of his family and friends in the public gallery became emotional.
The prosecution alleged Ward sexually assaulted the woman in the back of a Mercedes after the pair met outside an "all-white" New Year's party in Gants Hill on January 2, 2023.
