JAMES SHOULDER FROM GOSFORTH CAUGHT IN SHOCKING CHILD SEX ABUSE CASE IN NEWCASTLE

In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the Newcastle community, James Shoulder, a 23-year-old resident of Gosforth, was found guilty of engaging in heinous sexual misconduct involving young boys. The allegations came to light after a series of troubling incidents at his residence, which is located in the Gosforth area of Newcastle.

According to court proceedings at Newcastle Crown Court, Shoulder lured young boys to his home under the pretense of playing video games. The victims, who were minors at the time, believed they were simply engaging in innocent recreational activities, specifically playing on his PlayStation console. However, the situation took a sinister turn when Shoulder exploited their trust and alone with them, subjected them to sexual assaults. These acts of abuse were only uncovered after the mother of the youngest victim noticed a concerning text message from Shoulder.

The mother, Caroline Goodwin, expressed her alarm over the level of contact her son had with Shoulder. She explained that her son was receiving numerous messages from Shoulder, which raised her suspicions. Upon reading some of these texts, she discovered that Shoulder was urging her son to send him pictures of himself and was expressing affection, saying, “he loved him.” This revelation prompted her to become increasingly worried about the nature of their interactions.

The youngest victim later disclosed during police interviews that he had been visiting Shoulder’s house to play on the PlayStation, but the visits had been marred by sexual abuse inflicted by Shoulder. The police investigation then expanded, revealing that two additional victims had come forward, each recounting similar experiences. These other boys also visited Shoulder’s home to play video games but were subjected to sexual acts by him during their visits.

James Shoulder was subsequently charged and admitted to multiple counts of engaging in sexual activity with children and inciting children to participate in sexual acts. His actions, which spanned over a period of time, were deemed to be both deliberate and malicious.

During the sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court, Judge Paul Sloan condemned Shoulder’s conduct, stating, “You clearly knew what you were doing was wholly and utterly wrong.” The judge sentenced Shoulder to six years in prison. Additionally, he ordered that Shoulder not reside with children or have unsupervised contact with minors for the next ten years. As part of the court’s measures to protect the community, Shoulder was also placed on the sex offenders register, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his activities and restrictions on his interactions with minors in the future.