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Former television actor John Alford was found dead in his prison cell at HMP Bure on Friday, March 13, 2026.
Authorities confirmed the news this morning, stating that guards discovered the 54-year-old during a routine check.
John Alford had been serving an eight-and-a-half-year sentence following his conviction in January 2026 for the sexual assault of two teenage girls.
The actor, whose real name was John Shannon, rose to fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Fans best know him for his roles as Robbie Wright in the BBC school drama Grange Hill and as firefighter Billy Ray in the popular ITV series London’s Burning.
During his time as a television star, he also enjoyed a brief music career, reaching the UK Top 30 with several singles in 1996.
The death of the former actor comes just two months after a judge at St Albans Crown Court sentenced him for offenses committed in 2022.
After all the court heard that Alford assaulted two girls, aged 14 and 15, after a night out at a pub with their families.
Prosecutors noted that he had been a trusted family friend of the victims' parents at the time of the incident.
Throughout the trial, John Alford maintained his innocence and claimed the allegations were part of an attempt to extort money from him.
However, the jury found him guilty on multiple counts, including sexual activity with a child and assault by penetration.
The sentencing judge described his actions as a significant breach of trust that had a lasting impact on the young victims.
