Actor John Alford guilty of sex assaults on girls

John Alford said he "never touched" either of the teenage girls who accused him, but the jury disagreed

Actor John Alford has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two teenage girls.

The London's Burning star had denied sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl at a friend's house in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, in April 2022.

The 53-year-old, of Holloway, north London, had been standing trial under his real name of John Shannon.

Appearing at St Albans Crown Court, Alford put his head in hands and shouted "wrong, I didn't do this" from the dock as the verdict was read out. He was told to expect a jail term when he is sentenced in December.

Alford played Billy Ray in the ITV fire brigade drama and Robbie Wright in the BBC's school series Grange Hill.

Prosecuting barrister Julie Whitby said both girls were drunk when the attacks happened.

She said Alford knew they were under 16, but he claimed in court that he "never touched" either girl.

John Alford appeared in the ITV drama London's Burning

The court heard that on 9 April 2022, Alford bought about £250 worth of food, alcohol and cigarettes from a nearby petrol station in the early hours of the morning.

This included a bottle of vodka which the victims subsequently drank.

Alford said he had been drinking with the friend at a nearby pub, and the girls were at the house having a sleepover with the friend's daughter.

'Old man'

The younger girl said Alford had sex with her in the garden and in the downstairs toilet.

Jurors were shown a video of the 14-year-old's police interview, in which she stated she had been raped.

The girl told the court she did not know Alford prior to the attack and had never had sex before.

"I told him to stop because I didn't want to have sex with an old man," she said.

She told police she asked him to stop "three or four times".

Both girls did not say anything about the alleged assaults immediately after they happened as they had been drinking "a fair amount of vodka", Ms Whitby said.

John Alford (left) as Robbie Wright and George Christopher (right) as Ziggy Greaves in Grange Hill

Police received a report from the 15-year-old's mother two days later, outlining the allegations, jurors were told.

The older girl said Alford sexually touched her as she was half asleep on a living room sofa.

The actor denied this while giving evidence saying "not at all... I never touched either of them girls".

He began to cry as he told jurors: "I haven't done this.

"No DNA. I didn't touch them. I think science proves me not guilty."

The prosecution said a "bit of a party" had been staged, which Alford denied.

He said he thought he might be the victim of an extortion plot.

The jury returned its verdict after 13 hours of deliberations with Alford found guilty on four counts of sexual activity with the younger girl, and of sexual assault and assault by penetration relating to the older teenager.

It found Alford guilty by a majority verdict of 10 to two.

John Alford will be sentenced for the sex assaults at a later date

Jurors at St Albans Crown Court were told that Alford had a number of previous convictions - although none for sex offences - and had been to jail.

They heard that he had been convicted of supplying drugs in 1999 and was jailed for nine months.

Alford had been lured to a hotel by News of the World journalist Mazher "Fake Sheikh" Mahmood, who was posing as an Arabian prince, and secretly filmed supplying cocaine and cannabis, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

The judge at Snaresbrook said there had been an element of entrapment in the case.

Alford told jurors in St Albans he had been "blacklisted" as an actor following that conviction.

St Albans' jurors also heard Alford had been convicted of disorderly behaviour, drink -driving, causing criminal damage and obstructing a police officer.

Alford also said he had suffered mental health difficulties and had problems with alcohol.

Jurors were told, that after legal action, he had received a £500,000 settlement from the News of the World's publishers, after complaining that his phone had been hacked.

During the St Albans trial, he said "solicitors got most it".

The judge, Recorder Caroline Overton, granted the actor conditional bail ahead of his sentencing at the same court on 4 December.

The conditions included:

• a daily curfew for Alford between 18:00 and 06:00

• he must report to a police station on Mondays and Fridays

• he cannot make contact with anyone under the age of 18 with the exception of his own family members

She warned him he had been convicted of "very serious matters" and should expect a custodial sentence.