Disgraced actor, 54, found dead in prison cell two months into sentence

British actor John Alford, known for his roles in the films “Grange Hill” and “London’s Burning”, was found dead in prison.

Prison Service confirmed BBC It was learned that Alford, whose real name was John Shannon, was found dead at HMP Bure in Norfolk on March 13, 2026.

“John Shannon died in prison on March 13, 2026,” a Prison Service spokesman said in a statement. “As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.”

The cause of death has not been announced yet.

His death came just two months after the 54-year-old began serving an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting two teenage girls. His sentence began on January 14, 2026.

In September 2025, St. A jury at St Albans Crown Court found him guilty of sexually assaulting the girls, who were 14 and 15 at the time of the offenses in April 2022.

Prosecutor Chris White told the jury that Alford was “fully aware of the girls’ ages but still chose to abuse them, supply them with alcohol and then commit sexual offenses against them.”

Alford was found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with the younger girl and of sexual assault and assault by penetration of the older teenager.

He denied the crimes. When the jury announced the guilty verdict, he put his head in his hands and shouted, “It’s wrong, I didn’t do this,” according to the BBC.

The actor, who hails from Holloway, north London, came to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s playing Robbie Wright in the children’s TV series “Grange Hill” from 1985 to 1989. In 1993, he appeared in the ITV drama “London’s Burning” as firefighter Billy Ray.

Alford previously served nine months in prison after being convicted of supplying cocaine and marijuana to an undercover journalist in 1997.

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