Micheal Ward appeared in a London courtroom on Thursday to face multiple sexual offense charges stemming from an alleged incident involving one woman in January 2023.
Ward stood before Thames Magistrates’ Court for a preliminary hearing where he confirmed his name, address and date of birth.
Wearing a black jacket and dark sunglasses, the BAFTA winner was formally charged with two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
The case has been transferred to Snaresbrook Crown Court, with the next hearing set for September 25.
Ward has not yet entered a plea, but in a statement issued after the charges were announced in July, he rejected the allegations.
“I deny the charges against me entirely. I have cooperated fully with the police throughout their investigation and will continue to cooperate,” the statement read. “I recognize that proceedings are now ongoing, and I have full faith that they will lead to my name being cleared. Given those proceedings, I am unable to comment further.”
Ward, born in Jamaica and raised in the UK, rose to prominence for his role as Jamie in the gritty British drama Top Boy. He has also appeared in The Old Guard, Blue Story, Empire of Light, and most recently, Eddington, which debuted in theaters on August 22.
Before his acting career took off, Ward worked as a model and appeared in music videos for artists such as Lily Allen and Tom Walker.