JOHN’S A GENT NOT A GROPER
Female TV stars take stand to back sex assault accused Leslie
FEMALE TV pals of John Leslie yesterday rallied to support the star at his trial on a sex assault charge.
Anthea Turner was among a group of celebrities who told the court the ex-Blue Peter presenter was a gentleman.
TV STARS have rallied around John Leslie with Anthea Turner, Fern Britton and Yvette Fielding taking to the stand to call him a “gentleman” after he was accused of sexual assault.
Leslie, 55, is on trial charged with grabbing a woman’s breasts at a celebrity Christmas party 12 years ago.
But pals of the star gave evidence at Southwark Crown Court yesterday to say they thought he was innocent.
Fern, who co-hosted This Morning with Leslie in the 90s, has said she is “confident” the allegation is not true.
The alleged non-consensual touching is said to have taken place in London’s West End on December 5, 2008.
Fern, who presented the ITV morning show from 1999 to 2009, said she has stood by her friend since Matthew Wright had falsely named Leslie as Ulrika Jonsson’s rapist that she wrote about anonymously in her autobiography.
In a written statement, she said: “I asked immediately if it was him. He said no. I have no reason to disbelieve him and have supported him from then on. The allegations hit John very hard.”
She added: “I am confident the allegation made does not fit with the man that I know in the slightest.”
Anthea Turner, 60, presented Blue Peter from 1992 until 1994, all with Leslie.
She said there were “two Johns”, one before the Ulrika allegations, and one afterwards.
She told the court: “The worst thing he would ever do is hold you up and hug you and as he was so tall your feet would come off the ground.
“That was John, a very confident John. Afterwards I think it’s really sad, those who are friends of John, saw this amazing person just crumple.
“He was constantly worried, where he was, who he was with, and on edge. It was not the person that we all knew.”
Songs of Praise presenter Diane Louise Jordan, 60, was the first black Blue Peter presenter in 1990 and also backed Leslie. She said: “He was extremely kind to me. He’s a larger than life character, always overbrimming with life in him.
“John is a part of my personal life. He knows my husband well.
“We have a skiing holiday every year. John is a part of that very intimate group. The reason I ’m here today, I actually requested to be here today because I feel so strongly about this. I’ve never ever ever seen him behave in any way inappropriate to any woman.”
Yvette Fielding, presenter of Most Haunted and other ghosthunting shows, said she had recommended Leslie for the Blue Peter job after seeing him audition. She added: “I’ve seen women going up to him and squeezing his bum in bars, and he’s been the one to pat them away. He’d just laugh and move on and, in fact, being popular on television, he was a young handsome man, he was inundated with lots of ladies and I’ve seen them throw themselves at him.
“He’s been a gentleman, he’s always been lovely. He’d say, hello, nice to meet you thank you very much. I’ve known him
BY reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk
in relationships and I’ve known him when he’s single and he’s always been a lovely man.”
Leslie, from Edinburgh, denies sexual assault.
He described himself as a “wounded animal” at the time he attended the party 12 years ago after lurid allegations about his private life were made public. He added: “Knowing who was there, it was presenters and colleagues and producers. It’s not a backward industry. We treat women fairly. People don’t go around assaulting women. It’s just not done.
“You wouldn’t let it happen. It’s not al lowed. People wouldn’t watch it and let it happen. If I had seen it, I wouldn’t have let it happen. I would never do such a thing.”
The trial continues.