SHAMED actor John Alford placed a winning bet on a horse before he was found dead in his prison cell, a friend has revealed.

The Grange Hill star, 54, rang his sister and asked her to put a wager on Johnny’s Jury for him at the Cheltenham Festival.

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A man in a white shirt and black pants walks past a black railing, holding a cigarette and lighter.
Shamed London’s Burning actor John Alford placed a winning bet on a horse before he was found dead in his prison cell, a friend has revealed
 

A young firefighter in a yellow helmet and dark uniform smiles at the camera.
Alford’s death came just weeks after he was jailed for eight and a half years for sexually abusing two girls in 2022
 

A man in a polo shirt and athletic pants walks away from a brick wall with prison notices, carrying a large plastic bag labeled "PENTONVILLE PRISON SERVICE".
Alford, seen here in July 1999, walking free from prison, seven weeks after he was jailed for supplying drugs
The 20/1 outsider won the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on Friday — but by then Alford had been found unresponsive at HMP Bure in Norfolk.

The father of two’s death came just weeks after he was jailed for eight and a half years for sexually abusing two girls aged 14 and 15 in Hoddesdon, Herts, in 2022.

Close friend Justin Smith posted on Facebook: “John liked a bet, he phoned his sister to put a bet on for him . . .”

Revealing the horse’s name as Johnny’s Jury, he questioned why he would be asking to put a bet on if he was going to kill himself.

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Friends of Alford, who also starred in London’s Burning, suspect he took an overdose of pills.

His death is being investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

A post-mortem is due to take place with further toxicology tests expected in an effort to establish his cause of death.

Alford first came to fame playing the part of rebel Robbie Wright in BBC’s Grange Hill when he was 13.

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With his boyish good looks, Alford launched a career as a pop star and had three top 30 hits and performed on Top of the Pops.

But he was sacked from London’s Burning in 1999 after being exposed for supplying cocaine and cannabis following a newspaper expose.

John Alford court appearance
Alford was found dead on his cell bed by prison staffCredit: David New – The Sun
 

John Alford death
Alford was convicted of four counts of sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl and charges of sexual assault and assault by penetration relating to a 15-year-old girlCredit: PA
 

Aerial view of HMP Bure.
HMP Bure near Norwich, where Alford was serving his sentence
 

GRANGE HILL UK TV series with John Alford at left as Robbie and George Christopher as Ziggy
Alford, left, first found fame as Robbie in Grange Hill, seen here with George Christopher as ZiggyCredit: Alamy
 

Young man in firefighter's gear holding a helmet and flashlight.
Alford found fame as fireman Billy Ray in London’s Burning in the 1990s