London’s Burning star John Alford is discovered useless in jail weeks after he was imprisoned for sexually abusing two younger women

London‘s Burning star John Alford has been found dead in prison weeks after being sent to jail for sexually abusing two young girls.

A source told The Sun on Sunday Alford, 54, was unresponsive on his bed when staff opened his cell door on Friday.

The former Grange Hill actor was jailed in January for eight-and-a-half years for having sex with a drunk 14-year-old at a house party and sexually assaulting her 15-year-old friend. 

Alford, whose real name was John Shannon, was in the BBC school drama Grange Hill in the 1980s and played Billy Ray in London’s Burning before his fall from grace. 

A Prison Service spokesman told The Sun on Sunday: ‘John Shannon died in prison on 13 March 2026.

‘As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.’

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.