A Hollywood actor has been found guilty of attacking his ex-girlfriend the day after he was freed from prison. Jason Hoganson, 53, who starred in 1980s cult classic, Empire State, was pictured giving a thumbs up as he left HMP Durham on September 10 having served half of his 18-month sentence for assaulting his ex, Rachel Usher. However, just a day later, he assaulted Rachel again, landing himself back behind bars. He is now facing more prison time after being convicted of assault and two counts of breaching a restraining order.
Newcastle Magistrates' Court was told that Rachel, 42, had tragically died on October 30 - the day Hoganson was originally due to stand trial. A judge decided the case should go ahead using the mum-of-three's statement as evidence. She said in the document how the pair had been in a relationship for about six years and Hoganson "used to hit me all the time". The statement continued: "I'm aware he was released two days ago - earlier than he should have been.".
Rachel said on September 11, she was waiting for a lift outside her flat when Hoganson ran towards her and "slapped me across the side of my face". She added: "He was shouting and bawling and seemed really angry. He called me a s*** and said there was someone in my flat. "He said can we go somewhere and when I said no he got even more angry." Rachel added that the slap was "powerful" and had "a lot of force behind it".
