Fred Talbot sex abuse trial resumes after witness box fall

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/feb/04/fred-talbot-sex-abuse-trial-witness-box-fall

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The sex abuse trial of TV weatherman Fred Talbot has resumed after his fall from the witness box.

Talbot, 65, was taken to hospital for precautionary checks on Tuesday after he missed a step on exiting the box at Minshull Street crown court in Manchester.

On Wednesday, he re-entered the box – now marked with a “mind the step” sign – to resume evidence in his defence.

Judge Timothy Mort told the jury Talbot had made “a good recovery apart from a scab to his head” and the defendant would be given a break if he requested one.

Talbot, who made regular appearances on the floating weather map in the Albert Dock in Liverpool for ITV’s This Morning show, suffered a cut to the forehead after he tumbled into a facing table. It led to the proceedings being halted.

Talbot, of Bowdon, Greater Manchester, is charged with 10 indecent assaults relating to five schoolboys between the late 1960s and the early 1980s during his former career as a teacher.

Four of the complainants were teenage pupils at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, where Talbot taught biology, while the other was said to be a pupil at Eldon high school in Gateshead when Talbot was on placement from the training college.

Talbot denies anything sexual or inappropriate occurring between him and the Altrincham pupils. He says consensual sexual activity took place with the Gateshead complainant but it happened only when the complainant turned 16.