When unknown 16-year-old actor Jason Hoganson got his big break with the movie Imperial State He could be forgiven for thinking his next step would be Hollywood.
Cast as a “Geordie punk”, the Newcastle native found himself sharing credits with Hollywood heavyweight Martin Landau and legendary Irish actor Ray McAnally.
Unfortunately, the 1987 movie Gangsters and Geezers would prove pride before the fall, because Hoganson would instead become a convicted felon.
Now Hoganson has become the unwitting poster child for the Labor government’s controversial early release plan, which has caused a political storm before it has even begun.
In July, new Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood announced that 5,500 prisoners would be released in September and October to combat overcrowding in prisons.
The programme, known as SDS40, in which offenders will serve 40 per cent of their sentence instead of half, began earlier this month for those serving less than five years and will continue next month for those serving five years or more.
While Labor blamed previous Tory governments for the chaos, serious and repeat offenders were among the first group of 1,700 prisoners released from 10 September.
But by far the most striking figure in the picture that emerged that day was Hoganson, who cheekily gave photographers a thumbs up as he walked out of Durham Prison.
But it was later revealed that the 53-year-old was once a completely different poster boy.
Clear skin tone, messy hair and rugged good looks Imperial State It had been replaced by a sunken face with tattoos and a shaved scalp framing a gruff look that betrayed a lifetime of troubles.
Born in Newcastle in 1970, Hoganson grew up with his parents, sister and two brothers in Elswick, one of the poorest areas of the city.
Despite growing up in a strong-willed family, Hoganson, unlike his siblings, fell in with the wrong crowd from an early age and slowly began to follow his own path. Anti-social behavior.
“I was put into care when I was 13 because of my behavior,” Hoganson said in an interview. “I was part of the gang in Elswick and I was following the crowd, so I got into trouble.”
The revolving door of hostels and homelessness
But it was acting that offered Hoganson the most likely escape. Imperial State He contacted his drama teacher to find local talent.
Having always had a natural interest in acting at Newcastle’s Redewood school, Hoganson found himself up against more than 100 youngsters before being offered the role.
At the time, Hoganson said: “I’m very pleased with the movie. It’s a low budget movie, it’s really down to earth and realistic. “I know acting is a difficult profession, but acting and writing are things I always wanted to do.”
So hard that the roles dried up and his career, like the film, disappeared without a trace. Hoganson is drawn back into the life of a criminal in Newcastle.
His own defense lawyer, Ian Crook, said when Hoganson pleaded guilty to charges of assault by beating and breaching a restraining order in August this year, Hoganson struggled for the spotlight and “turned to drink and drugs, which led to his downfall”. .
Hoganson’s life was chaotic and his mental health suffered as a result. He also began to lose contact with the five children he fathered by three different women.
“The children were very young and I decided it was best for them not to see them anymore,” he explained.
In 2002, Hoganson entered the revolving door of hostels and homelessness, with an unwanted record of disruption and eviction.
Mr Crook told the court in August that Hoganson, who had been diagnosed with mental health problems, had also recently mentored others while on remand.
Frequently struggling with homelessness, she said in 2012: “I could go back and live with my mother, but she’s on her own and has a lovely house. I’m like a black sheep.
“My mother has done everything for me, she is a really nice woman, but my parents are fed up and I don’t blame them. “I can’t keep putting them through this situation.”
‘Everywhere I go takes me away’
Hoganson admitted that he had difficulty sleeping at night at that time and wandered around the cafes in the city center during the day to warm up.
“It’s freezing outside and it’s going to get worse,” he continued, “But everywhere I go they push me away and tell me they can’t help me.
“All I need is my own little place. This means that if any of my children want to come and see me later in life, they can. I missed so much of their life and no amount of money can bring that back.
He was serving an 18-month sentence for assaulting his ex-girlfriend when he was released from Durham Prison.
Despite his desire to be reunited with his children, Hoganson appears to have had little contact with them.
One of these children, Charlotte Hoganson, now 28, said: Telegram: “We have nothing to do with it. It has nothing to do with us.”
He said he “played no part” in his childhood and had “no idea” what he was doing now.
As for Keir Starmer’s controversial early release programme, Hoganson raises questions about whether grateful ex-prisoners will choose a more enlightened path.
North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard on September 12 that the former actor allegedly slapped his ex-girlfriend after turning up at her house, a day after his release.
He is also accused of violating a restraining order against the victim. Hoganson was rearrested and is currently back in prison.
A CPS spokesman confirmed Hoganson was charged with assault and two counts of breaching a restraining order and was subsequently refused bail.
Hoganson is scheduled to stand trial at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on October 30. He admitted breaching an order but denied other offenses and denied assault.
And if Hoganson is convicted again, it may be tempting to ask whether he would be eligible for other early release schemes that the Government may announce in the coming months.