Actor John Holford tells court he ‘never touched’ teens at party

Former London’s Burning actor John Alford who has been accused of sexual offences by two teenagers fought back tears as he told a trial “I haven’t done this”.

Mr Alford, who is charged under his real name John Shannon, is accused of four counts of sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl and two counts relating to a second girl, then aged 15, of sexual assault and assault by penetration.

Mr Alford, 53, who lives in Holloway, north London, denies the offences and told a trial at St Albans Crown Court that he “never touched” either girl.

Jurors heard that Mr Alford had told Hertfordshire Police officers after being arrested: “This stinks. This is a set-up.”

The actor was listed as John Shannon at the trial and his stage name emerged at an earlier hearing.

The two teenage girls who made the allegations said Mr Alford had assaulted them at a house in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, in April 2022.

Jurors have heard that a “bit of a party” had taken place at the home of a friend of Mr Alford and the two girls had been at the house.

The 14-year-old girl said she had sex with Mr Alford in the garden and in a toilet.

“It didn’t happen,” Mr Alford told the trial. “No.”

The 15-year-old girl said Mr Alford sexually touched her.

“Not at all,” he added, “I never touched either of them girls.”

He began to cry and told jurors: “I haven’t done this.”

Mr Alford added: “I have thought a million times, why would they do this?”

Mr Alford told jurors that the 14-year-old girl had “kept trying to grope me”.

“I told her, in no uncertain terms, ‘no’,” he said.

“It was quite obvious she was very drunk and being very flirtatious.”

He added: “I recoiled, didn’t reciprocate in any way, shape or form at any time.”

Mr Alford said he had downed most of a bottle of vodka and was “getting well drunk”.

But he added: “I don’t lose my morals no matter how drunk I am.”

“I have been accused of the most horrific crime anyone can ever be accused of. I didn’t do anything inappropriate,” he said.

The actor had told police, after his arrest in April 2022, that the allegations were “scandalous”, jurors heard.

A prosecuting lawyer said Mr Alford told police that one of the girls “kept trying to kiss me” but he told the girl “no”.

Jurors heard that he had told police: “I didn’t rape anyone.”

Mr Alford told the trial that he thought he might be the victim of an extortion plot.

Mr Alford told jurors that he been born in Glasgow and moved to London when aged two and began acting at the age of nine.

He told jurors of his previous convictions, which dated back to 1999.

They included convictions for drug supply, disorderly behaviour, drink driving, causing criminal damage and obstructing police.

He said he had been “blacklisted” as an actor following a 1999 drug supply conviction.

Mr Alford also said he had suffered mental health difficulties.

He said he was a father and had been in a relationship when he was arrested in 2022.