UK4 min(s) read
Published 16:54 15 Mar 2026 GMT
Disgraced actor is found dead in prison two months after being sentenced for sex crimes
Disgraced former British television star John Alford has been found dead in prison, only two months after being jailed for crimes involving two teenage girls.
The 54-year-old actor, who once rose to fame in the hit UK dramas Grange Hill and London’s Burning, was discovered unresponsive in his cell at His Majesty’s Prison Bure near Norwich on Friday (March 13).
Alford had been serving an eight-and-a-half-year sentence at the Category C prison after his conviction earlier this year.
Police have now confirmed that an investigation will be carried out into his death.
Actor Found Unresponsive In Prison Cell
Alford, whose real name was John Shannon, was found lifeless in his bed by prison staff during morning checks.
"John Shannon died in prison on 13 March 2026," a prison spokesperson said in a statement. "As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate."
According to reports, officers initially believed he was asleep before realizing something was wrong.
"He didn’t wake up in the morning. He was in his bed and they thought he was just asleep," a source told The Sun. "When they tried to wake him there was no response and they realized he was dead."
The cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
Jailed Earlier This Year For Offences Involving Teenage Girls
Alford had been sentenced in January at St Albans Crown Court to eight years and six months behind bars after being convicted of offences involving two girls aged 14 and 15.
Prosecutors said the incidents took place in April 2022 after the girls had been drinking during a night out before ending up at a property in Hertfordshire where Alford was staying with a friend.
During the trial, jurors heard that the actor had bought £250 ($330) worth of food, alcohol, and cigarettes from a nearby petrol station, including a bottle of vodka that the girls later drank.
Per The Guardian, it was revealed in court that the convicted child sex offender had sex with the 14-year-old girl in the garden of the property and later in a downstairs toilet. He then inappropriately touched the 15-year-old while she was half-asleep in the living room.
Police were alerted to the allegations after the mother of the 15-year-old made a third-party report two days later.
During the trial, she told the court she felt "absolutely sick" after the assault and had originally planned to keep it secret before suffering a "mental breakdown" and confiding in a friend’s mother on April 11.
Chris White, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said Alford knew exactly how old the girls were but still chose to prey on them.
Despite being found guilty, the actor insisted the jury had reached the wrong conclusion and described the accusations as "scandalous" and a "setup".
Alford began his acting career at the age of 13 in the 1980s when he landed the role of rebellious schoolboy Robbie Wright in the BBC drama Grange Hill.
He appeared in the series from 1985 to 1989 and also featured on the cast’s Just Say No anti-drug single.
He later found renewed success in the 1990s playing firefighter Billy Ray in the ITV drama London’s Burning, joining the cast in 1992 and appearing for six series.
However, his career was repeatedly overshadowed by legal trouble. In 1999, he was removed from London’s Burning after being convicted of supplying cocaine and cannabis. The conviction resulted in a nine-month prison sentence, although he served only six weeks.
Court records later disclosed further convictions over the years for offences including disorderly behaviour, drink driving, causing criminal damage, and obstructing police.
Alford had previously claimed that the drug conviction led to him being "blacklisted" as an actor.
Although he attempted to rebuild his career in the early 2000s, further controversies followed, including being charged with resisting a police officer in 2018.