Actor John Alford dies in prison

Actor John Alford has died in prison two months after he was jailed for sexually assaulting two teenage girls.

The 54-year-old former star of Grange Hill and London's Burning was found dead at HMP Bure in Norfolk.

Alford - whose real name was John Shannon - was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting the two teenagers, who were 15 and 14.

A Prison Service spokesman confirmed the death to the BBC and said in a statement: "John Shannon died in prison on 13 March 2026. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate."

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