NewsBeat
London’s Burning actor John Alford, 54, found dead in prison | Soaps
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.’
Don’t miss a Soaps scoop! Add us as a Preferred Source
As a loyal Metro Soaps reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories. We have all the latest soaps news, spoilers, videos, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.
Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.
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.’