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BAFTA-winning actor Micheal Ward has been found not guilty of raping a woman in the back of a car after a party.

The star, 28, was accused of repeatedly assaulting a woman in his friend’s car after meeting her at his New Year’s fancy dress event.

He has been found not guilty by jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Ward denied two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault after the east London party in 2023.

The Jamaican-born actor made his name as one of the stars of cult hit Blue Story in 2019 and won the Rising Star prize at the Bafta Film Awards the following year.

Judge Rosa Dean, in her jury directions, said: “This is a case where two young people had sex in the back of a car and your job is to decide if there was consent.”

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The prosecution suggested he thought only about “his own pleasure come what may” and the alleged victim felt “pressured”.

In contrast, Ward stressed they had consensual sex and she was a willing and “active participant” in everything they did.

Ward told the court he and the woman flirted, had foreplay, enjoyed “passionate” kisses, and that an intimate act between them would not have happened if she did not want it.

Ward, from Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, met the woman for the first time at an “all-white party” at Infinity Lounge nightclub in Gants Hill, East London, in January 2023.

The court heard the pair kissed and hugged in a Mercedes outside the party, and later had an intimate encounter in another Mercedes outside an after-party event.

The judge said: “The prosecution case is that she did not consent to any sexual activity beyond kissing. Things moved out of control. She felt pressured.”

The prosecution suggested Ward “did not care less”.

Tracy Ayling, KC, prosecuting, said: “Micheal Ward was unknown personally to her at the time. She knew him to be an actor and had seen him on TV and in films. She knew it was his party.

“They met for the first time outside the party and he asked for her snapchat handle which she gave to him. She accepts in her interview that she was flattered that he had asked for her details.

“During the course of the evening, she said that she had seen him intermittently; at one point he touched her bottom as he walked past her.

“He asked her if the three friends were doing anything after the event and invited her to an afterparty.”

She and her friends then went to an afterparty in Stratford but got a “weird vibe” so decided not to stay long.

Jurors heard she then bumped into Ward, who asked her where she was going.

The woman told him they were leaving as they had a long drive home but he suggested that she walked up to the Mercedes that was parked further up the road so that he could talk to her again, the court heard.

Ms Ayling said: “She said she was given specific instructions to walk behind him, and not to talk to anyone en route.

“Mr Ward then invited her to climb into the back seat with him claiming that he just wanted to kiss her a bit more.”

The woman said they could do that in the front seat but Ward allegedly became “quite impatient” and told her to “stop wasting time” and get into the back.

Ms Ayling continued: “She said that she felt a bit pressured, but she did what he asked.”

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard the woman “didn’t really feel like I had a choice”. She told police: “He said: ‘If I tell you to do it, you do it’.”

The court was told Ward then allegedly pulled down her trousers and knickers before raping her.

Jurors heard the actor then orally raped her then started talking “as though nothing had happened”.

Of the defence case, the judge said: “At the time she actively consented.

“This was not submission. Her friends were nearby, available and in telephone contact.

“She made a conscious decision to step into the car and was in control of her actions.

“All of her actions suggest she was consenting.”

Ward was arrested on January 18, 2023 and told police in a prepared statement: “I deny the allegation of rape. I want to put on record that we had consensual foreplay and consensual sex.”

Ward’s first on-screen appearance came in 2016 in movie Brotherhood.

His breakout role was in 2019 when he starred as Jamie in Netflix’s third series of Top Boy.

He also appeared in the Sam Mendes drama Empire of Light alongside Olivia Colman.

The star was nominated for the Bafta Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film.

He also won a Bafta Rising Star Award for his performance in British musical crime drama Blue Story.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 6/10

A tidy race to lead Audi home and finish just outside the points.

Nico Hulkenberg – 5.5/10

Solid enough but finishing behind Bortoleto takes the shine off it. He gained places from his lowly starting position, however.

Pierre Gasly – 5/10

Slipped down the order so a disappointing Sunday for Alpine who just looked short on pace.

Ollie Bearman – 4.5/10

A clean but anonymous afternoon for Bearman. Haas didn’t have much to fight with.

Franco Colapinto – 4.5/10

Not spectacular but a steady finish for Colapinto, who kept his Alpine out of trouble.

Esteban Ocon – 4/10

Finished behind team-mate Ollie Bearman again, which made for a poor return. Lost ground at the start and never looked like a points contender.

Alex Albon – 4/10

Williams had a tough race and Alex Albon finished two laps down. Unlike this team-mate Carlos Sainz, he at least got to the flag.

Fernando Alonso – 4.5/10

The final classified finisher. He gained places largely through others retiring, however his five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane made this another race for Aston Martin to forget.

Lance Stroll – 3.5/10

Aston Martin driver retired after 45 laps, ending a difficult race from the back row.

Carlos Sainz – 4/10

Out after 23 laps when his car stopped on the pit straight. Led Williams once again in qualifying which is all that can be said.

Sergio Perez – 4/10

Only lasted a few laps for Cadillac. Out-qualified team-mate Valtteri Bottas but barely turned a wheel this weekend with several car issues in practice plaguing him during the race, too.

Valtteri Bottas – 3.5/10

The first retirement, after just two laps. There was almost no race to judge. Started behind his team-mate but Cadillac’s Sunday was over before it had begun.

REALITY TV star Kim Kardashian showcases a dazzling new look — striking platinum hair.

She has covered her flowing black tresses with an edgier bob wig.

Kim, 45, was wearing huge sunglasses and a floor-length coat on a night out in Beverly Hills, California, as she debuted the blonde revamp.

It was a marked change from the US star’s last public outing — cheering on Brit boyfriend Sir Lewis Hamilton, 41, at the Monaco Grand Prix two weeks ago.

Kim has been hilariously mocked by F1 ace Kimi Antonelli after stealing his towel at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Whilst supporting her boyfriend Lewis Hamilton, who lost out to winner Kimi, at the race, the reality star picked up and used a towel reserved for the Mercedes driver following the race.

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This sparked fury online, with Kim seemingly unaware that the towel was for the driver as she used it to wipe her sunglasses while walking through the paddock.

But now, 19-year-old Kimi has made light of the misunderstanding in a hilarious TikTok video, which was shared to the official Mercedes page.

In the clip, Kimi is seen asking around for his towel, before washing his hands and having nowhere to dry them.

“Hey, have you seen my towel?” the sportsman asks the camera.

Fans in the comment section of the video couldn’t hold back their laughter, with one writing: “hmm I wonder if kim k knows anything?”

“She thought it said KIM not KIMI,” said another.

A third joked: “Keeping up with Kimi’s towel”.

Towel or not, Kimi bagged his fifth-consecutive race win at the coveted Grand Prix last week, beating out Kim’s Ferrari driver boyfriend, who was close behind in second.

Russell’s case was complicated because his fall down the order was precipitated by a cascading series of events.

He was given the penalty for pit-lane speeding – by just 0.1km/h – before a safety-car period caused by a crash for Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

Russell pitted to change tyres under the safety car but in the confusion, failed to serve the penalty.

When the safety car pulled in, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed, which led to the race being suspended under a red flag.

During the race stoppage, it was announced that Russell had been given a drive-through penalty for not serving the five-second penalty correctly. He pleaded with officials not to make him serve that penalty when the race resumed and to discuss it afterwards, because the number of penalties suggested something was wrong.

They rejected his argument, and when the race restarted, Russell came in again to serve the drive-through penalty, which is what dropped him out of third place.

Under F1’s rules, Mercedes were able to ask only for a review of the five-second penalty, which they did not actually serve, regardless of whether it was incorrectly awarded.

The drive-through penalty was correctly awarded – on the basis he did fail to serve a penalty. Mercedes have looked into the legal complications around this and concluded there is no remedy for that available to them.

The initial right of review request, lodged at last weekend’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, was made to buy Mercedes time to analyse the situation, as the FIA rules dictate a limited time period for teams to make right of review requests.

There is then a longer period during which a party can decide whether to continue with them.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: “It was important for us to explore all available options to address the impact of George’s pit-lane speeding penalty on his race result.

“We had a limited time window in which to apply for the right of review during the race weekend in Barcelona, and did so in order to reserve our position in this regard.

”Our subsequent collaborative discussion with FIA and Formula 1 has shown their determination to review the unique circumstances arising from the Monaco Grand Prix and to proactively address the factors that caused them.

“In the face of this clear determination, we have concluded that further pursuit of our right of review application will not serve our team or the sport and thus we have withdrawn our submission.”

Formula One racing sensation Kimi Antonelli made a mockery of suggestions that the Monaco Grand ⁠⁠Prix would stall his incredible start ⁠⁠to the season by producing a stunning qualifying lap to stick his Mercedes on pole position.

The qualifying battle lived up to expectations, with provisional pole changing hands several times before the 19-year-old championship leader snatched it with his ⁠⁠final lap on Saturday.

He edged out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.043 seconds to become the first Italian since Jarno Trulli in 2004 to take pole position in the principality.

“It was one of those laps that we call a magic lap. I was able to put it all together. It was such a close ⁠⁠qualifying with Max,” Antonelli, who clocked 1:12.051 (1 minute and 12.051 seconds) to claim his fourth pole in six races this season, said.

“I knew the last lap was good; I was just hoping that it would be enough, but it was very close.”

Antonelli is the youngest driver to lead the championship, having won the last four races, but the unique nature of Monaco’s twisting circuit, full of slow corners, was supposed to take away the Mercedes power advantage.

Ferrari pair on second row

Ferrari have been strongly tipped as ‌‌race favourites but had to be content with the second row on Sunday’s grid, with Lewis Hamilton third quickest, 0.228 seconds slower, and local favourite Charles Leclerc, winner of the race in 2024, fourth.

Leclerc had been on provisional pole with time running out in Q3 – the third and final session of qualifying – but clipped the wall on his final lap as he tried to wrestle it back, stopping his car at Rascasse.

Ferrari dominated Friday’s two practice sessions, with Hamilton and Leclerc first and second in both, although Antonelli was quickest in Saturday’s final practice.

“Congrats to Kimi. Mega, mega job. Having your first pole here is so special,” three-time Monaco champion Hamilton, who is yet to win a race for Ferrari, said.

“It was tough for us. We were looking so strong in practice, and ⁠⁠we barely changed anything, but the car was drastically different once we got to qualifying for some reason.”

Isack Hadjar, in ⁠⁠the second Oracle Red Bull, bounced back from a nasty crash in Friday practice to qualify fifth, with Antonelli’s teammate George Russell, who trails him by 43 points in the standings, a disappointing sixth.

Reigning world champion and last year’s Monaco winner Lando Norris will be on the fourth row alongside fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, with the team’s hopes of victory in ⁠⁠their 1,000th Grand Prix now looking slender.

‘The walls start coming closer’

Antonelli finished 18th and last at the Monaco Grand Prix 12 months ago, and he was expected to feel the pressure of leading the standings on his return.

But he ⁠⁠now has a golden chance to continue his dream start to the season by emulating Trulli, ⁠⁠who converted his pole into a victory in his Renault in 2004.

“I think this is one of the most intensive, if not the most intense, qualifying sessions of the year, and it takes a massive effort,” he said. “When it is about finding the last two tenths, it is not easy because the walls start coming closer.

“But I felt great this morning, and I am happy that we ‌‌could finish the job today.”

Of the last 22 Monaco Grands Prix, only six have been won by a driver who did not start on pole, such is the extreme difficulty of overtaking on the narrow, twisty circuit that snakes round the stunning Mediterranean playground.

The last three editions have all been won by the ‌‌top ‌‌driver in qualifying, but Hamilton did win from third on the grid in 2016, and with Verstappen showing great speed here this year, Antonelli will be taking nothing for granted.

“If you would have told me yesterday I would be on the front row, I would have taken it,” Verstappen said.

On The Chequered Flag podcast, former McClaren mechanic Marc Priestley and F1 journalist Rebecca Clancey discuss the rivalry between Mercedes team-mates Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in their bid to top the Drivers’ Championship.

WATCH MORE: The Chequered Flag Podcast on BBC iPlayer

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This question essentially centres on the push by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to return Formula 1 to a set of engine regulations that are pretty much the same as the era from 2010-13.

We delved into this topic extensively last week. There’s a link to that article below.

Now, as to the specific question, yes, 2013 was pretty boring, or at least the second half of it was.

The season started relatively competitively – Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won four of the first 10 grands prix, but Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen and Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton all won over that period.

But a change to the specification of tyres following a series of blow-outs at the British Grand Prix led to Red Bull dominating and Vettel won the last nine races in a row to clinch a fourth consecutive world title.

The last years of the V8 era, once refuelling was banned at the end of 2009, fluctuated between intensely competitive and, er, not.

The 2010 and 2012 seasons had gripping title fights. In 2010 there were five drivers in the running until the penultimate race, and four mathematically at the last one.

That was the year Ferrari dropped the ball on strategy in Abu Dhabi and threw away the title, letting Red Bull and Vettel in to win their first title.

In 2012, there were seven different winners in the first seven races, and the title fight between Vettel and Alonso went to the final race again.

In 2011, as in 2013, Vettel and Red Bull dominated.

But there were a lot more factors involved in those scenarios than just engines. Tyres, for one. The relative competitiveness of the cars for another.

However, the naturally aspirated era – and especially the years from 1994-2009 when there was refuelling – was notorious for the lack of overtaking on track.

That has certainly increased this year with the new style of “yo-yo racing” brought about by the new hybrid engines.

There are so many issues wrapped up in this engine debate. Some of it may well be people harking back to the past, one they felt was more attractive than what F1 serves up today.

But there is also a cost issue, whether the essence of F1 has been polluted, noise, the changing road-car market place and on and on.