Trial of former London's Burning and Grange Hill actor John Alford for sex offences involving girl under 16 delayed

The 53-year-old, who first found fame in Grange Hill, was due to appear at St Alban’s Crown Court today (Monday 2 December) for the start of a seven-day trial. Court staff confirmed that an adjournment had been requested because the defendant is in hospital, and that a new date has yet to be fixed.

Alford, who is charged under his real name John Shannon, is accused of four counts of sexual activity with a child, and two counts relating to a second female – of sexual assault and assault by penetration. The former actor, of Holloway, north London, denied the charges at a previous hearing.

Glasgow-born Alford first starred as Robbie Wright in school drama Grange Hill when he was just 13 years old in 1985. He landed the role after training at Anna Scher's stage school in north London alongside Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer who starred in EastEnders, and briefly appeared in ITV sitcom Now and Then before joining Grange Hill.

He struggled with fame at a young age after leaving the school drama at 17, reportedly spending thousands of pounds on alcohol and gambling. He later became a fan favourite when he played fireman Billy Ray in ITV drama London's Burning from 1993 to 1998.

The father-of-two starred on the show at the height of its popularity when it pulled in more than 18million viewers a night. The show became ITV's third longest-running drama behind only Coronation Street and Emmerdale.