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Grange Hill and former London’s Burning actor John Alford has been found guilty of sexually assaulting girls aged 14 and 15 at a friend’s home.
The verdict was delivered today at St Albans Crown Court, according to PA. John was standing trial under his real name, John Shannon.
Prosecutor Julie Whitby said that both girls were drunk when the incidents took place.
It is said that Alford shouted ‘wrong, I didn’t do this’ from the dock as the verdict was read out.
Ms Whitby said as she opened the case at the end of August that Alford ‘was in no doubt both the girls were under 16’.
He denied six charges at the time, which included two of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 16, and two of engaging in penetrative activity also with a girl under 16.
Alford, who is 53, was also accused of assaulting a female aged 13.
His charges related to alleged incidents in the early hours of April 9, 2022. Ms Whitby told the jury the defendant claimed that no sexual activity took place.
She said that Alford would claim he told one girl ‘no’ and pointed out that he had children her age.
His statement to the police read: ‘At no point did I touch her in any sexual way at all.’
This Is Not Right
On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a year-long campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.
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Introducing This Is Not Right: Metro's year-long violence against women campaign Remembering the women killed by men in 2024Alford was arrested two days after the alleged assaults in Hertfordshire.
The trial, scheduled for 5 days, was due to begin in December, but got postponed due to Alford collapsing. The charges came after an investigation by Hertfordshire’s specialist Sexual Offences Investigation Team.
John Alford was cast as Robbie Wright in Grange Hill in 1985.
From 1993, he played a fireman called Billy Ray in ITV’s London’s Burning. He has also had roles in Casualty, and the 2017 movie The Hatton Garden Job.
Alford quit acting for a brief period. He became a scaffolder and minicab driver but ultimately returned to the industry in 2000.
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