Fred Talbot 'offered to resign' from teaching job

Television weatherman Fred Talbot said "30 seconds vastly altered my life" over an allegation he indecently propositioned a schoolboy, a jury has heard.

Talbot's former teaching career was said by the prosecution to have come to "an abrupt end" in 1984 following the alleged incident at his home.

The 65-year-old is on trial over charges he indecently assaulted five pupils between the late 1960s and the early 1980s.

Giving evidence today, former teaching colleague Keith Knowles recalled speaking to Talbot soon after he left Altrincham Grammar School for Boys.

He said: "He said that he had been dismissed for making inappropriate comments, or something like that, to a boy, and the parent had complained and he had been dismissed or asked to resign.

"He said that he had had treatment for that sort of thing before. He alluded to the fact that he made a suggestion to a boy, or something along those lines."

Mr Knowles told Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that he kept a diary at the time and had noted: "He told me he had made suggestions to a boy and the parent had complained. That 30 seconds had vastly altered his life.

"He has had treatment before for it (when he was mysteriously ill with 'stomach pains' some years ago)."

Mr Knowles told prosecutor Neil Usher that the diary entry reflected what Talbot had said to him at the time.

The diary entry went on: "Also he 'resigned' a while ago. That was over the same thing he said. He should never have been talked into going back to school."

The witness confirmed to Mr Usher that Talbot had not actually resigned on the previous occasion.

He told the court: "It was not a resignation but by the sound of it he had offered to resign but had not actually done it."

Mr Knowles said he did not know who was said to have talked the defendant into staying at the school.

He added: "But I imagine it would be the management at the time."

The jury has previously heard that Talbot's time at the school ended following an alleged incident at his home when he had invited a number of boys over as part of an astronomy study.

One of the boys said during the evening he was propositioned by Talbot who asked him if he could perform a sex act on him.

The youngster politely declined and said there was nothing he could do that his girlfriend could not do for him.

Talbot is then said to have remarked: "I think you'll find I can."

Talbot denies that any such incident took place. He also denies the 10 counts of indecent assault he faces.

The jury later heard formal admissions about Talbot's arrest and subsequent interviews.

Talbot was first spoken to in 1992 by Cheshire Police following a complaint from one of the alleged victims in this trial.

Two officers made an unannounced visit to his home in Bowdon and told him that a former pupil had claimed Talbot abused him.

Talbot told the officers: "You are joking."

He went on to say: "I don't believe this. I will have to have a cigarette."

Talbot denied committing any offence and told police that no-one had made any such allegation against him before and no complaints had been made to the school.

No further action was taken in 1992 against Talbot.

In the current police investigation, a search was taken place of Talbot's home address.

Among items seized were a number of diaries and journals, the court heard.Diaries had been written between 1962 and 2012, with some years missing.

Mr Usher told the jury: "The defendant admits that entries in his diaries marked by an asterisk are occasions when he engaged in sexual activity."

Talbot was a regular on the floating weather map in Liverpool's Albert Dock for ITV's top-rating This Morning show.

Last week, Stone Roses singer Ian Brown - an ex-Altrincham Grammar School pupil - told the jury that Talbot gave masturbation practice as homework in biology classes.