Former Grange Hill actor, John Alford, has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for sexually abusing two underage girls, aged 14 and 15, whilst they were at a sleepover
John Alford was found guilty of child sex offences(Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
What began as an innocent sleepover turned into a nightmare for two teenage girls after their paths crossed with John Alford. Former nineties heartthrob Alford, 54, has been sentenced to eight and half years in prison for child sex offences after the TV star sexually abused two teenage girls at the home of his friend.
The former actor, who is known for his roles in Grange Hill and London’s Burning, plied the girls, aged 14 and 15, with alcohol, the court heard, after he headed to a petrol station at 4.30am to buy £250 worth of cigarettes, snacks, and booze – including rum, beer and flavoured vodka.
Alford, who was convicted under his real name – John Shannon – expressed no remorse at his sentencing after previously being found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child, as well as two counts relating to a second female of sexual assault and assault by penetration at St Albans Crown Court on September 5. The attacks took place at the home of his friend back in April 2022, after a night out at the pub.
The teenagers had been enjoying an impromptu sleepover during their Easter school holidays, at the home of a third girl, the father of which Alford – of Hartham Road, Islington – was friends. Other than Alford, all the other adults in the property eventually went to bed, and the court heard that due to the nature of conversations the disgraced actor had with the teenagers during the night, he was aware of their ages. After going to the shop, he gave the Ciroc flavoured vodka to the underage girls, the court heard, whilst he drank a bottle of beer.
Former London’s Burning actor John Alford outside St Albans Magistrates’ Court(Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
The father-of-four went on to have sex with the 14-year-old girl in the garden of the property and later in a downstairs toilet. He also inappropriately touched the 15-year-old girl as she lay half-asleep on the living room sofa. In devastating testimony, the 14-year-old victim revealed that she had never had sex before and repeatedly told Alford to stop “three or four times”.
She also testified that “I told him to stop because I didn’t want to have sex with an old man”. The court also heard Alford asked her “do you want this babe?” to which she responded “no”. The other victim testified that “We were all just like dozing off. That was when John started to touch me.” The teenager also told the court that she felt “absolutely sick” after the attack, and once she had reached the safety of the other victim’s home she showered, and the two teenagers “spoke about everything that happened” in a bathroom together.
In harrowing victim impact statements the teenage victims detailed the injuries inflicted upon them by Alford, and the long-term aftermath of the attack, which for the 15-year-old victim included a suicide attempt and self harm. “This man destroyed my mental wellbeing. When I was 16 I tried to take my own life with sleeping tablets,” she described. “I was in so much physical and emotional pain I cut myself deeply. I used my mum’s lighter to burn the inside of my thighs as well.
John Alford was a heartthrob TV star(Image: Unknown)
“I felt so suicidal and depressed, words cannot describe how I felt.” She continued to describe the everyday difficulties she faces since the attack, which include using public transport, going to the toilet by herself in the night, and admitted “I struggle with men. I don’t want to think of every man as evil, but I do. I will never forget his face, his scent, his voice or him.”
The 14-year-old victim said in her impact statement that even receiving a hug from her own father had been difficult after the assault. “I’m the victim of penetrative sexual assault. Being sexually assaulted has affected my family in every way,” she wrote. The court heard that the sexual health exam she had to undergo after the assault also had an impact on her, and it had to be stopped because it caused her too much pain. She had to take the morning after pill and was given injections to prevent HIV and other diseases, which left bruises. “I was scared people were going to notice and wonder why I had them,” she said.
The 14 year old victim also said, “It has affected me severely with school. I didn’t care about my GCSEs as this was the only thing that mattered. I wasn’t bothered about my personal hygiene or appearance. I was just existing.” She continued, “I was getting flashbacks. I’ve been getting dreams. I’m convinced he’s going to come through my door. I also find it hard being intimate with my boyfriend because of this.
He starred in Grange Hill(Image: BBC)
“The assault by John has completely changed my perspective on life. It has made me look very differently at the world and I now have worries for my life and my future children. I will not let this assault define me, but it has been constantly in my mind.”
Counselling Directory member Tina Chummun tells the Mirror that the kind of traumatic injury the teenager survivors have gone through fundamentally alters how a “survivor experiences the world” and that there is psychologically, no “normal” that can be returned to.
Tina, who is a trauma specialist psychotherapist for domestic violence and sexual abuse and has worked for The Women’s Trust, explains: “Recovery after sexual assault is not about ‘going back to normal’, because trauma changes how a survivor experiences the world. The survivor will experience their world through their trauma lens for some time that their body and mind needs for recovery – however long that takes, and it is dependent on the survivor.”
Alford’s sickening assault does not have to “define” his young victims, “but it will shape [their lives] in profound ways,” the trauma expert explains. This is “because [the] nervous system is still living in survival mode. When someone experiences an intimate violation, their brain’s threat system becomes hyper-alert and struggles to tell the difference between what is safe and what is dangerous.
Alford has been sentenced to eight and a half years(Image: PA)
“Everyday stress, memories, smells, touch or even moments of closeness can trigger the same fight, flight, freeze or fawn responses as the original trauma. This is why survivors often live with flashbacks, fear, shame, self-blame, frequent triggers from daily experiences and difficulties with trust and intimacy long after the event.” Ms Chummun adds that the passage of time is not enough to ensure recovery.
“Healing involves more than time passing. It requires trauma-informed support in a safe, empathic, supportive, boundaried and non-judgemental space where the experience can be processed rather than pushed away. It’s the awareness, acceptance and then the acknowledgement to want to work towards changing thoughts and behaviours related to the trauma that will mean the survivor has processed it. The awareness and acceptance part of the recovery process are the most challenging. Without this, the body continues to carry the trauma as if it is still happening.
“Psychological pain is experienced in the same brain regions as physical pain, so survivors are not being dramatic when they say it hurts. It truly does. Recovery looks like slowly rebuilding a sense of safety in their body, restoring confidence, reclaiming their power and choices, having a personal safety plan in place, can be worked on together with a therapist, and learning that life can be lived again without ‘fear’ being in their driving seat.”
