A former film actor who was one of hundreds of prisoners released early in a bid to cut jail overcrowding has died suddenly.

Jason Hoganson, 55, from Newcastle, was photographed raising a thumb as he was released from HMP Durham in September 2024, having served half of an 18-month jail sentence for assaulting his ex-partner and breaching a restraining order.

The following day he was arrested in Newcastle's West End after going to his ex-partner's flat and slapping her, but his convictions were quashed after she had died and prosecutors had been found not to have done the required assessments.

Hoganson had a leading role in the 1987 cult film Empire State, starring as a drifter called Pete.

A notice by funeral directors RW Barrett and Son said Hoganson, a father of five, died "unexpectedly" on 4 April.

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