Frederick Wilson Talbothttp://www.scotland-judiciary.org.uk/8/1803/HMA-v-Frederick-Wilson-Talbot is a British former television presenter. He spent much of his career in North West England. In February 2015, and again in May 2017, he was found guilty of a string of indecent sexual assaults against teenage boys whilst he was employed as a teacher at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys before he moved into television presenting. He was sentenced to five years in prison following his initial convictions. He was sentenced to a further four years in June 2017 following conviction for further indecent assaults committed in Scotland. He was released on licence in December 2019.
Early life and teaching
Born in Edinburgh, Talbot received his early formal education at North Cestrian Grammar School, and in 1964 was a founding member of the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society, with which he co-discovered a meteor shower, the June Lyrids in June 1966. After teacher training in Gateshead in the late 1960s, he was employed to teach biology at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys until May 1984, when his schooling career came to "an abrupt end" following an indecent proposal he made to two pupils at his home.
Media career
In 1984, he began presenting for the regional news programme Granada Reports in North West England. Granada Television later commissioned Talbot to appear in a general educational science programme for children called The Final Frontier. He continued as a regular reporter for Granada Reports and became a weatherman for the ITV's This Morning in October 1988. Until production of This Morning was moved from the Albert Dock, Liverpool, to London, Talbot presented weather reports from a large floating map of the UK and Ireland in the dock. He was required to jump across a gap to go back and forth between Britain and the island of Ireland. Crowds often gathered to watch his leap. On one occasion in 2004, a diver swam near the map to distract Talbot and on another a streaker swam naked up to the map and jumped on. Talbot also presented several regional feature series for ITV Granada, including Locks and Quays and Wainwright Country before returning to weather presenting with Granada Reports in February 2009. He also contributed to the CITV science series Prove It! and guest presented weather forecasts for the ITV Breakfast programme Daybreak.
Indecent assault convictions
In December 2012, Greater Manchester Police carried out a search of Talbot's home in Bowdon, when allegations first emerged of abuse at Altrincham Grammar School between the early 1970s and early 1980s. A day before the search, Talbot posted on his Twitter account that he was on a holiday cruise in the Atlantic Ocean. He did not return to his role at ITV Granada upon his return to the UK, but was not suspended. In April 2013, police arrested Talbot, who refused to answer interview questions about allegations by men who claimed they had been abused as children. Following a re-arrest in December 2013, he was charged with ten historical sexual offences, followed by an eleventh charge for a further sexual assault in June 2014. His trial began in January 2015, accused of abusing four former pupils at Altrincham Grammar School and a fifth schoolboy from the Newcastle area, during a canal holiday in the 1970s. Witnesses included Stone Roses lead singer Ian Brown, a former pupil of Talbot's at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, who swore under oath that Talbot showed his class gay pornographic films. Evidence was also provided by Talbot's extensive diaries, which noted his sexual activity. On 13 February 2015, a jury at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester found Talbot guilty of indecent assault against two teenage boys at the school, and acquitted him of eight further charges. Immediately remanded in custody bearing in mind Talbot's "abuse of trust", sentencing was adjourned until 13 March 2015. With reporting restrictions lifted, it was noted that a number of similar complaints against Talbot had since been passed by police to the procurator fiscal about alleged offences said to have been committed in Scotland. During the trial, Talbot said he knew at fourteen that he was homosexual. At Minshull Street Crown Court on 13 March 2015, Judge Timothy Mort sentenced Talbot to five years in prison. Talbot was told that he must serve at least two-and-a-half years in prison before he can be considered for release on licence. Talbot appeared in a Scottish court on 11 March 2016, where he faced ten fresh charges of indecent assault dating from 1968 to 1981 and two charges of breach of the peace. He did not enter a plea during the hearing. In May 2017, Talbot was convicted of seven charges of indecent assault against boys that took place on trips to Scotland while he was a teacher at Altrincham Grammar. On 15 June 2017, he was sentenced to four years' imprisonment at Lanark Sheriff Court, to run from 14 August, after he had served half of his existing sentence for indecent assault. On 29 November 2017 Talbot was jailed for eight months for a further sexual assault, this time of a male over the age of 16, having admitted the offence at a previous hearing. Talbot was released from prison in December 2019.
Awards
In 1998, Talbot was named Weatherman of the Year at the Annual International Weather Festival in Paris. In 2007, Talbot was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science by Manchester Metropolitan University in recognition of bringing to a mass audience a better understanding of scientific and environmental issues.
