John Alford, a British actor known for starring in the BBC children’s soap Grange Hill and the ITV firefighter drama London’s Burning, who had a troubled history with the law, has died.
Videos by Suggest
According to Deadline, Alford died in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two teenage girls. The 54-year-old had reverted to his birth name, John Shannon, after his acting career.
“John Shannon died in prison on 13 March 2026. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate,” a Prison Service spokesman explained to the BBC.
In January, Alford was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. He was convicted on four counts of sexual activity with a 14-year-old, as well as charges of sexual assault and assault by penetration involving a 15-year-old girl.
Alford stood trial at St Albans Crown Court in September 2023 for the incident, which took place in Hertfordshire, U.K., in 2022.
John Alford’s Trouble With the Law Dates Back to 1999
Meanwhile, this was not Alford’s first clash with the law. In 1999, he was convicted of supplying drugs and imprisoned for nine months following a sting operation by the News of the World and its reporter, Mazher Mahmood.
Alford was convicted of drunk driving after a crash in 2006. In 2018, he pleaded guilty to two counts of resisting an officer and was given a community order.
Alford’s breakout role was as Robbie Wright in Grange Hill, a popular children’s TV show that ran from 1978 to 2008. He later played fireman Billy Ray in the ITV drama London’s Burning, starring in the show for five years before being fired after his 1999 conviction.
His acting career stalled after the conviction, and he only secured a few minor film roles. These included appearances in Mike Bassett: England Manager and The Hatton Garden Job, which also starred Matthew Goode, Larry Lamb, and Joely Richardson. He also featured in the 2006 Channel 5 reality series Trust Me – I’m a Beauty Therapist.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.