Former television star John Alford, once a household name for his roles in Grange Hill and London's Burning, has been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison for sexual offences against two teenage girls. The 53-year-old actor was convicted on six charges relating to incidents at a house party in Hertfordshire in April 2022.
A Dramatic Fall from Fame
John Alford's career began with immense promise. He rose to fame playing the popular character Robbie Wright on the BBC children's drama Grange Hill between 1985 and 1991. He later secured a regular role as firefighter Billy Ray on ITV's London's Burning, earning over £120,000 a year at the peak of his success in the early 1990s. His celebrity extended to the pop charts, where he scored three Top 20 singles produced by the hit-making team Stock Aitken Waterman.
However, his fortunes turned dramatically in 1999 following a sting operation by the now-disgraced News of the World 'Fake Sheikh', Mazher Mahmood. Alford was convicted of supplying cocaine and cannabis to the undercover reporter, who had lured him with promises of a film role alongside Robert De Niro. He served six weeks of a nine-month sentence, but the scandal shattered his career, leading to his dismissal from London's Burning and a long struggle to find acting work.
The Crimes and Trial
The latest and most serious chapter in Alford's downfall unfolded at St Albans Crown Court. He was convicted by a jury, on a 10-2 majority, of six charges stemming from a party in Hertfordshire on 8 April 2022. The court heard that Alford, who was tried under his real name John Shannon, had been drinking with the father of a friend of the two victims.
In the early hours, he was left alone with the girls, aged 14 and 15. Prosecutor Julie Whitby stated that Alford was in 'no doubt both the girls were under 16'. He was found guilty of twice having sexual intercourse with the 14-year-old—once in a garden and once in a toilet—and of performing a sexual act on the 15-year-old.
Throughout the trial, Alford maintained his innocence, claiming he was the victim of a blackmail plot by a man with an 'Irish-sounding Traveller-style' voice. He exclaimed 'Wrong, I didn't do this' as the verdicts were returned. However, the jury rejected his account, and Detective Constable Laura Harrison of Hertfordshire Police later dismissed the blackmail claims, noting the victims were born long after his fame and were unaware of his celebrity status.
A Life Unravelled
Alford's conviction marks the culmination of a decades-long decline. Following the 1999 drugs conviction, his acting career never recovered. He turned to scaffolding and minicab driving to make ends meet and faced further brushes with the law.
In 2006, he was banned from driving for drink-driving. In a bizarre 2018 incident, he was captured on video hijacking a bin lorry in Camden, north London, leading to a confrontation with police where he was charged with assaulting two officers. He received a community order for that offence.
Despite occasional small roles in shows like Casualty and The Bill, and a stint on the reality programme Trust Me - I'm a Beauty Therapist, he could not escape the shadow of his past. In interviews, he blamed the 'Fake Sheikh' for ruining his life, claiming the journalist had destroyed his reputation and livelihood.
Sentencing him on 14 January, the judge imposed a lengthy prison term. DC Harrison commended the bravery of the victims, stating: 'There is no doubt that Shannon's behaviour that evening was predatory and carried out solely for his own sexual gratification.' For John Alford, the man once known to millions as a happy-go-lucky TV star, this scandal appears to be the final, devastating act in a career that has completely fallen apart.
