Former London’s Burning actor John Alford has died in prison months after being jailed for sexually assaulting two teenage girls.

Alford, 54, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years in January after he was found guilty of the assaults which occurred during a party at a friend’s home.

He died at HMP Bure in Norfolk on Friday, the Prison Service said.

The former actor, who appeared in the BBC drama Grange Hill, was convicted of four counts of sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl and charges of sexual assault and assault by penetration relating to a 15-year-old girl at a property in Hertfordshire on April 9 2022.

After Alford’s death was first reported by The Sun on Sunday, a Prison Service spokesman said: ‘John Shannon died in prison on March 13 2026.

‘As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.’

Jurors heard during the trial that the defendant, charged under his real name John Shannon, sexually assaulted the girls while they were drunk following a night out at the pub.

Police received a third-party report from the 15-year-old girl’s mother outlining the allegations two days later, before the defendant was arrested.

The 15-year-old girl said in her evidence she had felt ‘absolutely sick’ following the assault and had planned to keep the incident secret before having a ‘mental breakdown’ to her friend’s mother on April 11.

Alford told jurors during the trial that all the allegations were ‘scandalous’ and a ‘set-up’, and that there was no DNA evidence to support the assaults.

He said he had told police that the girls were ‘going to extort money’ from him, and that he suffered from mental health issues including anxiety, depression and paranoia.

During his trial in September prosecutor Chris White told the jury: ‘John Shannon was fully aware of the girls’ ages, yet he chose to exploit them – giving them alcohol and then committing sexual offences against them.’

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He had denied the offences, and when the verdicts were delivered, he put his head in his hands and shouted ‘wrong, I didn’t do this.’

The notice on the door and at the till of Bargain Booze warns that while the team “love creative payment methods”, cash fetched from bras, underwear, socks, or mouths “isn’t on our menu”, adding that they were “sorry not sorry” for the inconvenience.

The humorous reminder suggests that incidents of unsavoury cash exchanges may have occurred more than once at the Dale Street shop.

The sign reminds customers to ‘keep it classy’ (Image: Newsquest)

A second sign reminds vape buyers that the shop will only accept cash for these particular transactions, joking that there will be “no puff” without a cash payment, and urges customers to stop the “Oscar-worthy performance” of pretending they did not know.

The tongue-in-cheek sign offered up three choices for those in a pinch, including “hitting the cash machine, ask for cash back, or sweet-talk someone into lending you a fiver”.

Bargain Booze has been approached for a comment.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will urge Britain to decouple its nuclear weapons from US dependency, calling for British-made alternative by 2040s

Britain needs to disentangle its nuclear deterrent from America, so it is no longer reliant on an increasingly unpredictable US for the upkeep of the weapons, Sir Ed Davey will argue.

Whilst Britain’s Trident nuclear missile system operates independently, allowing the Government to utilise the weapon if deemed necessary, the Liberal Democrat leader will contend in a speech at the party’s spring conference that the American production and maintenance of the missiles means the deterrent isn’t truly autonomous.

Sir Ed will advocate for a “genuinely, verifiably” independent nuclear deterrent to supersede Trident, as he believes US President Donald Trump is no longer a reliable ally. During his address at the Lib Dem spring conference in York, Sir Ed will assert: “Britain’s nuclear deterrent must be genuinely, verifiably ours – not dependent on Trump or whoever his successor may be.

READ MORE: Mum noticed something different about her daughter – days later she was completely blindREAD MORE: Donald Trump claims Iran’s Mojtaba Khamenei ‘not alive’ after ‘losing leg’ in bombing

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“Trump has proven we can’t rely on America as a dependable ally.”

Sir Ed’s plea to sever ties with US support for Trident comes amidst the ongoing American-Israeli conflict with Iran in the Middle East, which has sent shockwaves through global energy markets.

Mr Trump has openly criticised the UK’s decision to stay out of the war and threatened to cease all trade with US ally Spain after its government refused American access to its airbases for use in the conflict.

The American president has also locked horns with the country’s longstanding European partners over his ambitions to seize Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory.

Sir Ed will urge the Prime Minister to pursue two separate measures to detach Britain’s nuclear arsenal from American control. As an immediate priority, the Government must establish its own servicing programme for Trident.

Looking further ahead, a completely British-manufactured replacement ought to be produced to succeed Trident when the weapons system reaches obsolescence in the 2040s, he will argue.

The Lib Dem leader will add: “As the UK now prepares to replace Trident in the 2040s, we should make the decision now to spend the billions required over the next two decades here in the UK, not in the US.

“Britain has the best scientists, the best engineers, the best builders in the world. So let’s get building our own, truly independent nuclear deterrent here in the UK. Made in Britain.”

Sir Ed is also expected to point to Britain’s past for inspiration: The nation developed its own atomic weapons during the 1950s, becoming only the third nation to achieve this after the USA and the Soviet Union.

He will also say Britain can look to its neighbour France, which operates its own completely autonomous nuclear capability. Trident has previously been calculated to consume roughly 6% of the UK’s yearly defence spending.

The Chatham House think tank has indicated Britain will confront a challenging decision when replacing Trident. Pursuing an independent deterrent would prove enormously expensive, whilst partnering with France would similarly create dependence on an ally, the think tank warned.

Britain sustains its nuclear capability by ensuring one of its four nuclear submarines remains operational at sea continuously.

The Vanguard class vessels operate from Faslane, on Scotland’s western coastline. They’re being succeeded by new Dreadnought class submarines under construction at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

Wales take on Italy at the Principality Stadium in the penultimate match of this year’s Six Nations. Italy have won the last two meetings and three of the last four.

Wales are bottom of the table and on course for a third straight wooden spoon. After back-to-back heavy defeats against England and France to start the tournament, they came agonisingly close to beating Scotland before pushing Ireland close last time out.

“Having an unchanged team reflects the cohesion and the consistency in the group and the consistency of performance out in Ireland,” Wales head coach Steve Tandy said. “This week we need to go up another level. We have had some good performances. There were parts against France, then we built up into the Scotland game where I thought we were very good. Against Ireland we stepped up to the plate physically. Now it is putting it all together and creating our best performance this weekend.”

They go in search of their first Six Nations win in over 1,000 days, with their last victory in the competition coming against today’s opponents in Rome back in March 2023. That run without a win in the Six Nations now stands at 15 consecutive defeats in the competition.

“For the team and myself, going back to Principality Stadium is amazing,” Tandy added. “The boys did well creating their own energy against Ireland, but there is nothing better than being at home. The boys reference in meetings what the Scotland game meant to them, as well as the matches against France and New Zealand. The fans have been incredible and I think they are behind the team and the team are putting in performances to represent our nation.”

Italy made history last weekend, beating England for the first time as they claimed a 23-18 win in Rome. They have two wins to their name now going into the final round, knowing a win of any sort will seal a fourth-place finish.

“No-one is talking about two wins or three wins,” said Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada. “The goal is more to finish our first Six Nations with full consistency and having five good games. That is something that has never happened. There was always a game where things did not work and there was a big loss. I promise it is not just words, it is exactly what we are after.”

Italy have won on their last two trips to Cardiff but Quesada is aware of the desperation the hosts will be playing with this afternoon.

“We know that Wales must win this game, they must win it,” Quesada added. “They produced amazing performances against Ireland and Scotland but you can be in these periods where the results are not there, not even if you play as well and fight as hard as they did and the stunning physicality they put in against Ireland. We are preparing mentally and physically to be ready for what will be, for me, the toughest game of the whole Six Nations.”

Kick-off from Cardiff is at 4.40pm.

The identities have been disclosed of all six crew who died when their US military refuelling plane crashed this week.

An umbrella group of Iranian proxies, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, claimed responsibility but US authorities have said it “was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire”.

The Boeing KC-135 was in “friendly” airspace over western Iraq on 12 March when an unspecified incident involving another aircraft occurred, according to US Central Command.

The other plane landed safely, authorities said.

One of the victims, Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, was deployed to help the Iran war effort less than a week before the crash

“It’s kind of heartbreaking to say, he was just a really good dad and really loved his family a lot – like a lot,” his brother-in-law James Harrill said.

The eight-year US Air Force veteran from Auburn, Alabama, had just moved into a new home with his family, his wife, Libby Klinner, said in a social media post. The couple have seven-month-old twins and a two-year-old son.

Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio, was another of the six who died.

In a statement obtained by WCMH-TV in Columbus, Mr Simmons’ family said his “smile could light up any room”.

“His parents, grandparents, family and friends are grief stricken for the loss of life,” they added.

After the confirmation by the families of Sgt. Simmons and Maj. Klinner on Saturday, the US Department of War officially named all the crew members who died.

The other four are:

Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio.

The chief of the National Guard Bureau shared a picture of them all on X.

Maj. Klinner, Captain Savino and Tech. Sgt. Pruitt were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, in Florida.

The others were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio.

“We share in the sorrow of their loved ones, and we must not forget the valuable contributions these Airmen made to their country and the impact they have left on our organization,” said the Air National Guard on social media.

Manchester United welcome Aston Villa to Old Trafford this afternoon as the Reds look to solidify their spot in the top four

Manchester United continue their bid for Champions League football when they welcome Aston Villa to Old Trafford. The game could not be more important for the Reds as they look to open up a three-point gap on the visitors.

After an 11-day break from competitive football, there could be understandable rustiness for United but they cannot allow Villa to gain a foothold. Michael Carrick is lacking defensive options with both Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez out. However, he is likely to stick with Noussair Mazraoui at right-back despite him picking up an injury at Newcastle.

Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are almost certain to complete the back four with Senne Lammens behind them. In midfield, Kobbie Mainoo will continue his renaissance alongside Casemiro. Both men are currently undroppable and while that’s a positive for Mainoo, it does spark a concerning transfer question as Casemiro prepares to leave in the summer.

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Captain Bruno Fernandes is the first name on the teamsheet and will start behind Benjamin Sesko. The striker struggled at Newcastle but will hope better service is provided for him today. United’s major selection decision comes out wide.

Bryan Mbeumo did not have the best of games at St James’ Park but, in fairness, there were few players who came out of that trip with credit. The former Brentford man has credit in the bank having scored nine goals in 24 Premier League matches, so he should keep his place.

On the other side, Matheus Cunha has struggled in recent matches. The Brazil international is better suited to the central role and that has caused problems for the Reds.

Cunha’s determination to cut inside has left United lacking width. If Patrick Dorgu was fit, he would be starting but his absence means Amad is the only option for that position.

Carrick believes Amad can play on the left wing but he has rarely played there during his career. For that reason, United’s interim head coach could play it safe and stick with Cunha.

United’s predicted XI vs Aston Villa: Lammens; Mazraoui, Yoro, Maguire, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko

Lucy Fallon opened up about an embarrassing mistake she made on her first day filming Coronation Street in front of a soap icon

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Lucy Fallon has revealed an awkward mistake she made during her debut day on Coronation Street.

The actress rose to prominence when she joined the ITV soap in 2015, portraying Bethany, daughter of Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien). Since then, she’s established herself as a fixture on the cobbles.

Earlier this month, Lucy and her fellow cast members appeared on ITV’s popular gameshow Celebrity Lingo. During the episode – presented by Adil Ray – Lucy made a surprising admission about her initial day on Corrie.

“Now Lucy how long have you been in Corrie now? How many years has it been?” Adil enquired. She responded: “It’ll be 11 in January. It’s quite a long time actually.” Lucy was subsequently asked whether she recalled her opening lines, reports the Daily Star.

She said: “I can’t remember my first words but I remember I had to say ‘Anna Karenina’ and I said ‘Anna Karaneena’ and I was really embarrassed.”

Adil immediately offered reassurance, saying: “But it’s a tough first word, isn’t it! ?” Lucy then disclosed she’d made her blunder in front of soap legend.

She elaborated: “Yeah and I was only 19, in front of Sue Nicholls, who plays Audrey. Yeah I was embarrassed, I was ashamed.”

Adil joked: “They were trying to set you up there!” Over the years, Lucy has featured in numerous major storylines on Coronation Street portraying Bethany Platt. From grooming ordeals to botched cosmetic procedures, Bethany’s stint in Weatherfield has been packed with drama.

The character also returned to the soap in October, after actress Lucy completed her maternity leave. Lucy welcomed daughter Nancy in January 2025. She shares Nancy and son Sonny – born in 2023 – with fiancé, footballer Ryan Ledson, to whom she became engaged last November.

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Announcing the news, Lucy turned to Instagram with a series of photographs displaying her glittering engagement ring. In the opening snap, she and Ryan, who are parents to Sonny and Nancy, captured a selfie whilst she held her hand towards the camera, and the bride-to-be appeared visibly moved with tears welling in her eyes.

A further photograph revealed Lucy seated in a restaurant, where she was pictured raising her glass with her stunning engagement ring gleaming on her wedding finger. Accompanying the post, the soap actress penned: “Ending the birthday weekend with my best friend as a fiancé! ! ! ! I can’t wait to marry you @ryanledson8.”

Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX

Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of Chelsea vs Newcastle United in the Premier League, with Liam Rosenior’s men hoping to bounce back from their late collapse against Paris Saint-Germain in the week and climb into the top four.

In the 73rd minute of Wednesday’s round-of-16 first leg in Paris, Chelsea were on course for a respectable and useful 2-2 draw to take back to Stamford Bridge. However, a disastrous final 20 minutes, sparked by a glaring error from Filip Jorgensen, has left them facing a 5-2 deficit ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

While PSG get the weekend off from Ligue 1 duties, Chelsea will be hoping a victory against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge this evening can restore some confidence and belief before the French side come to town.

With Manchester United hosting Aston Villa on Sunday, before Liverpool face Tottenham, Chelsea have the chance to set the pace in the race for Champions League football this weekend. While they are currently level on points with sixth-placed Liverpool, a win against Eddie Howe’s side would take Chelsea into third, above United and Villa on goal difference.

Newcastle had been enduring an incredibly difficult period in the league, with one win in seven games. However, they beat United 2-1 in their last top-flight outing, and following defeat against Manchester City in the FA Cup, were only denied a famous victory against Barcelona with the last kick of the game as Lamine Yamal converted from the spot.

Ahead of their trip to Spain on Tuesday, Howe’s side are hoping to secure successive league wins for the first time since the start of January, a result which could take them from 13th to ninth, depending on how this afternoon’s 3pm fixtures finish. 

Chelsea have failed to beat Newcastle in their last three meetings, with November’s league clash ending in a 2-2 draw after the west London side’s second-half comeback, but they have not lost against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge in the league since 2012, winning 11 of their 12 home ties in the competition in that time.

The decision comes after what has been described as a turbulent year for the company.

Allan Leighton, the Executive Chairman of Asda, has confirmed that around 9,500 salaried staff, including head office and senior store managers, will receive a thank you payment at the end of the month.

This is despite some teams having missed their annual targets.

Despite the supermarket’s continued struggles, Leighton told staff in a memo that “there was still significant effort, commitment and progress made under challenging circumstances”.

A day early …. And breakfast on its way … at the “big” @asda … or “Yhe Asda” as I think my friends from Liverpool would say !! pic.twitter.com/bCigOxnFKk

— Gerard McDermott KC (@mcdermottkc_) March 13, 2026

The payouts will be determined by a worker’s particular grade. Those who have met all of their targets will receive their full bonus, while those in teams below target will receive a partial payout, per the Telegraph, which first reported the memo.

It applied to any salaried colleague who joined before 1 October 2025.

“In recognition of all the hard work undertaken during the first year of our turnaround, we have confirmed that all eligible salaried colleagues will receive a thank you bonus in their March pay,” an Asda spokesman said. “This has been well received,” he added.

The payout – which follows the return of Asda’s ‘Tell Allan’ feedback initiative – contrasts with last year, when there was fury among some Asda staff after bonuses for managers were scrapped.

Asda is set to report full-year results on 27 March, and Leighton is hoping to boost morale across the business to breathe new life into his turnaround plan, which was set back by around six months following the botched final stage of its Project Future IT project.

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During Christmas, it was the only supermarket to lose market share.

However, according to The Grocer , there are signs that the bleed is slowing, with its market share down 2.6% in the 12 weeks to 22 February according to the latest data from Worldpanel by Numerator.

It was an improvement on the 3.7% fall in the 12 weeks to 25 January.

“I’m just looking for signs of progress, and there are signs of progress,” Leighton told The Grocer x Retail Week LIVE conference last week, on Asda’s market share performance.

“I’ve said from the beginning, this is [going to take] three to five years. You do not turn these things around in a short amount of time.”