During the trial the actor and singer claimed to the jury the allegations were ‘scandalous’ and a ‘set-up’
Grange Hill and London’s Burning star John Alford shouted ‘Wrong, I didn’t do this” after the majority of a jury found him guilty of carrying out sex attacks on girls aged 14 and 15 at a house party. Alford, who was charged under his real named John Shannon, played Robbie Wright in BBC children’s TV show Grange Hill from 1985 to 1990 and Billy Ray in the ITV series London’s Burning between 1993 and 1998.
A jury at St Albans Crown Court convicted Alford, 53 who also had three Top 30 hits on the UK singles chart in 1996, of every charge he faced on Friday (September 5) following a week-long trial and more than 13 hours of deliberations. Alford was found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with the younger girl and charges of sexual assault and assault by penetration relating to the second teenager.
Alford put his head in his hand and shouted from the dock as the verdicts were read out in court. Sobbing could also be heard from the public gallery. The 12-strong jury found Alford guilty on each of the six counts by a majority verdict of 10 to two.
Jurors heard during the trial that the defendant, charged under his real name John Shannon, sexually assaulted the girls while they were drunk. All of the offences took place at a house party Alford went to after being in the pub.
The former actor bought some ÂŁ250 worth of food, alcohol and cigarettes from a nearby petrol station in the early hours of the morning, including a bottle of vodka which the victims subsequently drank. Alford then had sexual intercourse with the 14-year-old girl in the garden of the home and later in a downstairs toilet, and inappropriately touched the 15-year-old girl as she lay half asleep on the living room sofa.
Police received a third-party report from the 15-year-old girl’s mum outlining the allegations two days later, before the defendant was arrested. The 15-year-old girl said in her evidence she had felt “absolutely sick” following the assault and had planned to keep the incident secret before having a “mental breakdown” to a friend’s mum.
Alford told jurors during the trial that all the allegations were “scandalous” and a “set-up”, and that there was no DNA evidence to support the assaults. He said he had told police that the girls
Recorder Caroline Overton granted Alford conditional bail ahead of his sentencing at the same court on December 4. She warned the defendant he had been convicted of “very serious matters” and should expect to receive a custodial sentence. The bail conditions included a reinstated curfew for Alford between 6pm and 6am each day, to report to a police station on Mondays and Fridays and not to have contact with anyone under the age of 18 with the exception of his own family members.
Addressing the jury, Ms Overton said: “I want to start to by sincerely thanking you for your work on this trial. You have very clearly given a lot of time and care to this matter.”
Alford was previously convicted of supplying illicit drugs to former News of the World journalist Mazher Mahmood, who was known as the “fake sheikh”, following a trial in 1999. Jurors heard he also received a payment of £500,000 from the news organisation in relation to allegations that his phone had been hacked.
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