Officers found Alford unresponsive in his cell
Convicted paedophile and former London’s Burning actor John Alford has been found dead in his prison cell just weeks after being jailed for sexually abusing two underage girls.
The disgraced actor, aged 54, was discovered unresponsive during morning checks at HMP Bure, a Category C jail in Norfolk, on Friday (March 13). His death comes not long after he was locked up for sexually assaulting a 14‑year‑old and a 15‑year‑old during a sleepover at a friend’s home over the Easter holidays.
A jury at St Albans Crown Court found Alford — who appeared under his real name, John Shannon — guilty on all counts after a week‑long trial and more than 13 hours of deliberations, according to the Daily Star.
As the verdicts were delivered, the disgraced actor, who also appeared in London’s Burning, placed his head in his hands and shouted from the dock: “Wrong, I didn’t do this.” He found fame portraying Fireman Billy Ray in London’s Burning throughout most of the 1990s.
Speaking to the Sun, a source elaborated on the unresponsive state Alford was found in, saying: “He didn’t wake up in the morning. He was in his bed and they thought he was just asleep.
“But when they tried to wake him there was no response and they realised he was dead.” Alford landed the role of rebel Robbie Wright on BBC’s Grange Hill when he was 13 years old.
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