John Alford, the actor best known for his role in the ITV drama London’s Burning, has died in prison at the age of 54. He was serving an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for sexually assaulting two teenage girls.
Alford, whose real name was John Shannon, died at HMP Bure in Norfolk on Friday. The Prison Service confirmed his death and said the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman would investigate, as is standard for all deaths in custody.
He was convicted in January 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. The offences occurred during a party at a friend’s home in Hertfordshire in 2022.
The court heard that Alford bought £250 worth of food, alcohol and cigarettes, including a bottle of vodka, which the victims drank. He then had sex with the 14-year-old in the garden and a downstairs toilet, and touched the 15-year-old inappropriately as she lay on a sofa.
Alford, who also appeared in Grange Hill, had previous convictions dating back to 1999, including for drug supply, disorderly behaviour and drink driving. He claimed the drug conviction led to him being “blacklisted” as an actor.
