Former Grange Hill and London’s Burning star John Alford was sentenced to eight and a half years in jail after being discovered responsible of sexually assaulting two teenage ladies aged 14 and 15 in 2022

John Alford was one of many greatest pin-ups of the nineties, with individuals fawning over him due to his smouldering appears and intense performing prowess. Now, nevertheless, he finds himself a convicted paedophile, starting an eight and a half 12 months jail sentence.

Alford, 54, hailing from Holloway, north London, was discovered responsible at trial in September. As the decision was introduced, he was seen burying his head in his arms and bellowed “incorrect, I did not do that” from the dock.

At present (January 14), he obtained a sentence of eight and a half years after the jury discovered him responsible on two counts of sexual exercise with a baby, two counts of penetrative sexual exercise of a kid, assault by penetration and sexual assault.

However how did Alford’s life take such a drastic flip from being probably the most sought-after stars to a convicted paedophile? That is how one of many greatest heartthrobs of the Nineteen Nineties had a dramatic fall from grace.

Booze and betting

Alford joined Anna Scher’s stage college on the tender age of 11 in London, bagging his first position in ITV sitcom Now and Then earlier than securing the a part of Robbie Wright in BBC’s Grange Hill in 1985, based on the Mirror. Nevertheless, the younger actor discovered the pressures of fame too overwhelming and turned to alcohol.

By the point he exited the present at 17, he had reportedly squandered as much as £80,000 on booze and playing. He later admitted to knocking again as much as 18 bottles of beer and 9 photographs of spirits an evening.

“After I acquired in poor health I went to see any individual. They checked out my liver and instructed me to cease, which my mum had been telling me for years,” he confessed.

Nevertheless, regardless of touchdown his first high-profile position in 1993 as Billy Ray in ITV hit London’s Burning, not the whole lot was clean crusing for Alford. In December 1996, simply earlier than his scheduled look in a pantomime in Sunderland, Alford collapsed and was rushed to a hospital in Newcastle affected by a uncommon blood dysfunction.

Drug sting

In 1999, his success got here crashing down round him when he was sacked for being convicted of supplying medicine, earlier than being sentenced to 9 months behind bars. Alford had been enticed to a lodge by the Information of the World’s Mazher “Faux Sheikh” Mahmood, who was masquerading as an Arabian prince, and was covertly filmed offering cocaine and hashish, Snaresbrook Crown Court docket heard on the time.

The choose at Snaresbrook famous there had been a component of entrapment within the case. Alford knowledgeable jurors in St Albans he had been “blacklisted” as an actor following that conviction.

Jurors heard that, following authorized motion, Alford scored a £500,000 settlement from the Information of the World’s publishers. He instructed Panorama: “Nobody can provide me the 18 years I’ve misplaced, nobody can provide me that again; I hope that is the primary day of a brand new life for me.”

He battled to search out work afterwards and was reportedly compelled to earn cash as a roofer, scaffolder and mini-cab driver to outlive. At occasions he needed to depend on advantages.

However in 2001, Alford lastly secured a job within the movie Mike Bassett: England Supervisor. In 2003, he portrayed the a part of drug-dealing and scheming flight attendant Dean in Mile Excessive, and it appeared that Alford was again on the roster of movie stardom.

Drink driving

In January 2006, he was hit with a 16-month driving ban and fined for drink-driving after crashing his Rover into three different vehicles in Islington, north London, on April 2, 2005. He additionally admitted to driving a faulty automobile as one among his automobile’s entrance tyres was dangerously deflated.

Highbury Nook magistrates hit him with a £150 superb and £100 in prices on prime of the driving ban. Alford has since confronted different motoring-related authorized troubles, together with inflicting prison harm to a council automobile in 2018, pleading responsible to 2 counts of resisting an officer and was handed a 12-month neighborhood order one 12 months later.

‘Sleepover’ abuse

Alford was discovered responsible of sexually assaulting ladies aged 14 and 15 at a pal’s home on April 9, 2022. He was convicted on six counts together with sexual assault, penetrative sexual exercise with a baby and penetrative sexual assault, after a jury deliberated for 13 hours.

Prosecutor Julie Whitby revealed that each ladies have been inebriated when the incidents occurred. All offences happened on the residence of a 3rd woman, whose father was pally with Alford.

Police have been alerted to the allegations by the mom of the 15-year-old woman, and Alford was introduced in for questioning earlier than being arrested; in his assertion to the police, Alford claimed one of many ladies “stored on attempting to kiss me” and had instructed him she was 17.

He added: “At no level did I contact her in any sexual approach in any way.” The courtroom heard that he instructed the police post-arrest: “This stinks. It is a set-up.”

“I’m not a nonce,” he declared. “I would not contact a baby. In the event you do this the place I am from, that is known as road justice – I would not have made it to the courtroom.

“If anybody in my space believed I may have presumably accomplished this, I might be lifeless by now.”

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