The 54-year-old had asked his sister to place the bet for him, according to friend
A friend of John Alford said the Scots-born actor had placed a winning bet on a race at Cheltenham before he was found dead in his prison cell.
The former Grange Hill and London’s Burning star died just weeks after he was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.
The 54-year-old was found guilty on four counts of sexual activity with a child, alongside two further counts of sexual assault and assault by penetration involving a second young victim.
The Mirror reports his close friend, Justin Smith, posted on Facebook: “John liked a bet, he phoned his sister to put a bet on for him.”
The horse, with odds of 20/1, won the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on Friday but John had already been found unresponsive.
Alford once had a promising career stretching through the 1980s and 1990s. However his fame faded, and in January he was jailed for eight and a half years following his conviction for child sex offences.
His death is now being investigated and a post-mortem is due to take place with further toxicology tests.
A Prison Service spokesman said: “John Shannon died in prison on 13 March 2026. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.”
John attended Anna Scher’s stage school from age 11 before securing a part in ITV sitcom Not and Then. His breakthrough came when he joined the cast of Grange Hill, taking on the character of Robbie Wright when he was 13.
During his tenure as Robbie, he participated in the show’s anti-drug campaign single, Just Say No. Alford’s acting career continued into adulthood when he landed the part of Billy Ray in London’s Burning, a role he held for five years. His final screen appearance came in 2017 as a prison guard in The Hatton Garden Job.
In September, he was convicted of sexually assaulting two girls, aged 14 and 15. Prosecuting barrister Julie Whitby told the court both victims were intoxicated when the assaults occurred. All offences took place at the residence of a third girl whose father was acquainted with Alford.
A third-party report was lodged with the police by the mother of the 15-year-old girl on 11 April 2022, as previously informed to the jury. The actor was arrested the next day after both girls were interviewed.
In his statement to the police, Alford claimed that one of the girls “kept on trying to kiss me” and had told him she was 17. He insisted: “At no point did I touch her in any sexual way whatsoever.”
Both victims submitted impact statements which were presented by a judge during the court proceedings before sentencing.
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