Convicted sex offender John Alford placed a bet on a horse that won big just before his death in prison. The 54-year-old former TV actor, who served time for assaulting two teenage girls, died at HMP Bure in Norfolk on Friday, according to the Prison Service.
Details of the Conviction
Alford received an eight-and-a-half-year sentence in January following his conviction on four counts of sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl, as well as sexual assault and assault by penetration charges involving a 15-year-old girl. The incidents occurred at a Hertfordshire property on April 9, 2022, during a party at a friend’s home.
Jurors learned that Alford, charged under his real name John Shannon, targeted the girls after they became intoxicated following a night out at a pub. Police arrested him two days later after the 15-year-old’s mother reported the allegations.
The 15-year-old testified that she felt ‘absolutely sick’ after the assault and initially planned to keep it secret until suffering a ‘mental breakdown’ and confiding in her friend’s mother on April 11.
The Final Bet and Death
Reports indicate Alford requested a bet on the 20/1 outsider Johnny’s Jury at the Cheltenham Festival shortly before his passing. The horse triumphed in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on Friday, the same day prison staff found Alford unresponsive.
A friend shared on Facebook that Alford ‘liked a bet’ and had asked for the wager to be placed on his behalf. The friend questioned why Alford would arrange the bet if he intended to end his life.
Trial Testimony and Defense
Alford denied all charges, describing the allegations as ‘scandalous’ and a ‘set-up.’ He claimed to police that the girls aimed to ‘extort money’ from him and cited his struggles with anxiety, depression, and paranoia. No DNA evidence supported the assaults, he argued.
Prosecutor Chris White told the jury: ‘John Shannon was fully aware of the girls’ ages, yet he chose to exploit them – giving them alcohol and then committing sexual offences against them.’
Upon hearing the guilty verdicts, Alford buried his head in his hands and shouted, ‘Wrong, I didn’t do this.’
Alford gained fame for roles in the BBC drama Grange Hill and London’s Burning.
