The Stone Roses’ Ian Brown Testifies Against Sex Offender Fred Talbot

Jim Ross/Invision/AP

The Stone Roses’ Ian Brown Testifies Against Sex Offender Fred Talbot

Jim Ross/Invision/AP

For decades, Fred Talbot served as a TV weatherman in the UK. But before he was on TV, Talbot was a teacher in Manchester. And a few years ago, police in Manchester arrested Talbot after learning that he had sexually abused kids at the school where he’s worked. Two years ago, he was found guilty of sexually abusing two teenage boys, and he was sentenced to five years in prison. Talbot is now on trial for more counts of abuse, and one of the witnesses who have testified against him is Ian Brown, frontman of the great Manchester band the Stone Roses.

The BBC reports that Brown, a former student of Talbot, recently gave his testimony, telling a story about a friend who Talbot had attempted to sexually assault during a school camping trip. Brown told the court the the trip had taken place in Scotland in 1977 or 1978, and that Talbot, who habitually invited groups of kids on these camping trips, had invited the other boy into his tent and then attempted to abuse him. “I’ve never forgotten it,” Brown told the court. “I was shocked.”

Brown also says that he has “told hundreds of people” that story, that he’d mentioned it every time he’d seen Talbot on TV over the years. But he also said that it was “not realistic” to tell Tablot’s TV bosses about his past during the occasions that the Stone Roses had been on TV.

Talbot is currently facing eight charges of indecent assault as well as one charge of lewd, indecent and libidinous behavior. All of the incidents allegedly took place between 1978 and 1981, on those group camping trips.

more from News