He threw away his chance of stardom for a life of crime and drugs.
Twenty five years ago Jason Hoganson was a fresh-faced young actor who had just landed his big break. After landing a role in 1980s movie Empire State, Hoganson, from Newcastle's West End could have had the world at his feet.
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But as his acting career started to take off, the rest of his life was in tatters. And it was the start of a downward spiral that would see him plagued by drug addiction, in and out of jail, and sleeping rough on the streets of Newcastle city centre.
This week Hoganson, now 51, was jailed once again after being caught breaking into a city property. His police mugshot reveals a scarred and tattooed face barely unrecognisable from the bright-eyed young lad in his acting headshot.
And today as we take a look back at Hoganson's tragic decline an addiction expert has described his story as "heartbreaking" as he calls on society to show more compassion for addicts who turn to crime.
Nuno Albuquerque, consultant treatment lead for the privately-run UK Addiction Treatment Group said: "It's heart-breaking to read Jason's story but it is not an unfamiliar one to us.
"For many people, drugs can take over and completely control lives. Being an addict means having lost the power of choice, no matter how promising their life could be. Only with the intervention of effective treatment and long-term therapy and aftercare thereafter can a person really stand a chance at beating addiction.
"Unfortunately, society doesn't have sympathy for those who are in and out of prison, regardless of the individual circumstance, but we do. What a person has done whilst in active addiction is irrelevant to us; what matters is that they've asked for help, and help is what we provide."
Hoganson was raised in Elswick with his two brothers and sisters in a loving family environment.
In an interview with the Chronicle in 2012 he told how he got into trouble after hanging around with the ‘wrong crowd’ as the rest of his family led law abiding lives.
At first it was all petty crime, but as he got older he became hooked on drugs and his crimes gradually became more serious.
“I was put into care when I was 13 because of my behaviour,” he said. “I was just part of the gang in Elswick and used to follow the crowd, and that’s how I got into trouble.”
But Hoganson had a talent that could have saved him.
After excelling at acting in school the teenager was given a chance to escape his life of crime in 1987 when the producers of a low-budget film contacted his drama teacher to say they were looking for Geordie actors.
After auditioning along with more than 100 teenage hopefuls, Hoganson, who was a pupil at Newcastle’s Redewood school was offered a part in Empire State, a gritty drama set in 1980s London.
He played the role of Geordie drifter Pete, in the Ron Peck directed movie which was largely panned by the critics.
In an interview with the Chronicle when the film premiered, Hoganson told how he planned to pursue a career in acting.
But tragically it was not to be.
“I was very good at drama at school,” Hoganson said in 2012. “I earned a lot of money doing that film, and met all the stars like Robson Green. Everything was going well.
“But then my acting career was over and I just messed up everything in my life.”
In 1996, Jason, who has fathered five children with three different women, was jailed for seven years for a terrifying aggravated burglary in which he threatened a woman in her Wallsend home.
When he was released from jail in 2002, he was housed in various hostels, but the Chronicle understands he was often disruptive and ended up being evicted.
Hoganson told the Chronicle how he was diagnosed with mental health problems and was an outpatient at St Nicholas’ Hospital in Gosforth for a number of years.
He was discharged in 2009, and by the end of that year was back in jail after being convicted of attacking his partner.
In 2012 he served a 16-week prison sentence after he was caught carrying a knife in public, and following his release he ended up living on the streets.
At the time he told the Chronicle: “I could have gone back and lived with my mam, but she is on her own and she’s got a beautiful house.
“None of my family have got a criminal record. I’m like the black sheep. My mam has done everything for me, she’s a really lovely woman, but my family have had enough and I don’t blame them. I can’t keep putting them through this.”
And Hoganson's life of crime continued.
In 2016 he was spared prison after arming himself with a knife and threatening to kill police officers. At Newcastle Crown Court his defence barrister handed a newspaper cutting about Hoganson’s past success to the judge.
Nick Lane said: “That was snatched away from him. He was led into a cycle of drug and alcohol addiction.”
But in 2020 Hoganson was locked up after he was caught carrying two knives in his rucksack on a busy Newcastle street. After being caught on West Road he claimed he’d been taking them to his mum for her to use with cooking, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
A court was told police were called to the scene after reports a man fitting Hoganson's description had been seen brandishing knives towards another person.
When officers attended, they found Hoganson, who had only been released from prison three months earlier for similar offending, nearby and he was detained.
A subsequent search revealed he was carrying a large kitchen knife and a small kitchen knife in his rucksack and he was arrested. He was jailed for 40 weeks.
Then this week Hoganson was back at court to be sentenced for burgling a city centre home after missing the last bus home when drunk.
His latest offence happened on April 19 at just after midnight when he entered a property on Groat Market, in Newcastle. A resident became aware of him in his bedroom and he asked for a cigarette before leaving.
Newcastle Crown Court heard a doorman at neighbouring bar, Cosy Joes, approached the victim and said he thought a homeless man had kicked his way in through a communal entrance. When Hoganson left a few minutes later, one of the residents followed him while giving a description to police on the phone.
Police caught up with him in an alleyway between Cloth Market and High Bridge and he was arrested and found to be in possession of a cap and jacket belonging to another resident. CCTV showed him entering the residence and leaving 20 minutes later with the clothing.
Hoganson, now 51, pleaded guilty to burglary and was jailed for eight months.
Mr Lane, who was again defending Hoganson who now has 103 convictions, said his was a "sad case" as he had a traumatic childhood, having been taking into care at 13 and he has dealt with his issues by abusing drink and drugs.
He added: "His life could have been very different.
"In 1988 he had a significant role in a Hollywood film, Empire State but he was unable to deal with his success in the role and (his traumatic childhood).
"In his own words he talks about tumbling down hills and getting his life stable again then a setback leading him into further use of illicit substances and a spiralling mental health crisis. He says he knows he should be dead by now given the abuse he had put his body through. He has self-harmed and has significant scarring to his face and other parts of the body.
"He now has a relationship with a lady and he wants to stop taking drugs and focus on her. Because of sentences and offending he has seen his mother only two times in the last six years."
Nat Travis, national head of service, for public health and substance misuse at the charity Turning Point said it was essential that people like Hoganson get the right support if they are going to change their lives.
"Addiction affects many people, and it isn’t contained to particular types of people," he said.
"Organisations such as Turning Point are here to support people experiencing concerns or dependency with drugs and/or alcohol. Its really important to us to ensure that we work with people in a holistic way; substance use is often seen in conjunction with wider issues such as mental health, housing issues and breakdown of relationships.
"We don’t see a problem, we see a person and underpinning our work and treatment interventions is our partnership working with other agencies who can provide the right support to people."
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