WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: Former Grange Hill and London’s Burning actor John Alford, 54, was jailed for eight and a half years after being found guilty of sexual offences against two teenage girls
What started as a harmless sleepover quickly spiralled into a horrific ordeal for two teenage girls, thanks to John Alford. The former nineties heartthrob, Alford, 54, has been handed an eight and half year prison sentence for child sex offences, following his sexual abuse of two teenage girls at a friend’s residence.
The ex-actor, famed for his roles in Grange Hill and London’s Burning, supplied the girls, aged 14 and 15, with alcohol, according to court proceedings. This occurred after he made a 4.30am trip to a petrol station to purchase £250 worth of cigarettes, snacks, and alcoholic beverages – including rum, beer and flavoured vodka.
Alford, who was convicted under his birth name – John Shannon – showed no remorse during his sentencing. He had previously been found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child, along with two counts related to a second female victim of sexual assault and assault by penetration at St Albans Crown Court on September 5.
The assaults took place at his friend’s home in April 2022, following an evening at the pub.
The teens had been having a spontaneous sleepover during their Easter school holidays at the home of a third girl, whose father was friends with Alford – of Hartham Road, Islington. Aside from Alford, all other adults in the house eventually retired to bed, reports the Mirror.
The court heard that due to the nature of conversations the disgraced actor had with the teenagers throughout the night, he was aware of their ages. After a trip to the shop, he provided the underage girls with Ciroc flavoured vodka, while he himself drank a bottle of beer.
The father-of-four proceeded to have sex with the 14-year-old girl in the garden and later in a downstairs toilet. He also inappropriately touched the 15-year-old girl as she lay semi-conscious on the living room sofa.
In heart-wrenching testimony, the 14-year-old victim disclosed that she was a virgin and had pleaded with Alford to stop “three or four times”.
She further testified that “I told him to stop because I didn’t want to have sex with an old man”. The court also heard Alford ask her “do you want this babe?” to which she replied “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” following the assault, and once she had reached the safety of the other victim’s home, she took a shower, and the two teenagers “spoke about everything that happened” in the bathroom together.
In devastating victim impact statements, the teenage victims outlined the injuries inflicted by Alford and the lasting consequences of the assault, which led the 15-year-old victim to attempt suicide and engage in 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.
“I felt so suicidal and depressed, words cannot describe how I felt.”
She went on to outline the daily struggles she endures following the attack, including difficulties with public transport, visiting the toilet alone at night, and confessed “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 revealed in her impact statement that even embracing her own father had become challenging following the assault. “I’m the victim of penetrative sexual assault. Being sexually assaulted has affected my family in every way,” she wrote.
The court learnt that the sexual health examination she endured after the attack also traumatised her, requiring it to be halted due to the excessive pain it caused. She was forced to take the morning after pill and received injections to prevent HIV and other diseases, which resulted in bruising.
“I was scared people were going to notice and wonder why I had them,” she said. The 14-year-old victim also revealed: “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 added: “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.
“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 type of devastating trauma these teenage survivors have endured fundamentally transforms how a “survivor experiences the world” and that psychologically, there is no “normal” to return to.
Tina, a trauma specialist psychotherapist specialising in domestic violence and sexual abuse who has worked with 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 horrific attack doesn’t have to “define” his young victims, “but it will shape [their lives] in profound ways,” the trauma specialist reveals.
This occurs “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.
“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 emphasises that simply allowing time to pass isn’t sufficient for 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.”
If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Victim Support for free, confidential advice on 08 08 16 89 111 or visit their website, http://www.victimsupport.org.uk.
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