'Got Talent' Contestant Arrested for Alleged 'Sexual Communication With a Child'

A former Britain's Got Talent contestant was arrested for allegedly sending sexual messages to a 14-year-old boy. Shaun Johnson, who auditioned for the Simon Cowell-created show in 2011 as dance act DJ Crazy, was taken into police custody after footage of him being grilled by members of the public for allegedly communicating with a 14-year-old boy in an illicit way. The people claimed he tried to meet the boy.

On Jan. 8, the group Confronted and Caught published a video of a member confronting Johnson over the alleged messages, reports The Mirror. "You are here Shaun to meet a 14-year-old boy, who you have been speaking to sexually online," a woman is heard telling Johnson. The group read the messages Johnson allegedly sent to the young boy. Johnson denied any wrongdoing. The video ends with Johnson being led into a Staffordshire police car.

After the video surfaced, a police spokesperson confirmed a 55-year-old man was arrested for "indecent online communications," reports The Mirror. Johnson was released on "conditional bail" while the investigation continues. Johnson refused to comment when The Mirror contacted him.

Johnson's brief time on Britain's Got Talent did not go well. He took to the stage in a white navy uniform and danced to Kary Perry's "California Gurls." Before he went on stage, he told the cameras he was "mad" and "completely crazy." None of the judges were impressed and he was quickly rejected. "Sometimes bad is good on this show, but that was bad, bad," judge Amanda Holden said.

Johnson is not the first Got Talent performer to be arrested. In February 2022, singer Glennis Grace, who performed on America's Got Talent in 2018, was reportedly arrested after a violent confrontation at a supermarket in The Netherlands. She was sentenced to 200 hours of community service in November 2022.

In September 2018, AGT finalist Michael Ketterer was arrested for domestic violence in Los Angeles. He was charged with felony domestic abuse after an alleged fight with his wife. After he was released on $500,000 bail, he told TMZ the incident was a misdemeanor. Ketterer later lost an opportunity to perform with Garth Brooks after the arrest. The singer did not end up facing charges after the case was referred to prosecutors.

In 2014, Neil Griffiths, whose gymnastics team Spelbound won Britain's Got Talent in 2010, faced disturbing charges of child cruelty. However, the charges were dropped a week before the case was set to go to trial. Griffith maintained his innocence. 

"I have been through hell for the last 18 months," Griffith told The Telegraph in 2015. "I'm grateful for all the support I've received, but devastated that the good name I have built up over 15 years in the sport, training British, European, and world champions, has been tarnished and called into question. This matter should never have dragged on as long as it did or been allowed to go on as far as it did."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.