Hedley singer Jacob Hoggard found guilty in sexual assault trial
A Canadian musician on trial for sexual assault has been found guilty of one charge and has been acquitted in connection with several others.
Jacob Hoggard, the frontman for Hedley, was in court hearing the verdict on Sunday, June 5, per Toronto Star. He was found guilty of sexual assault causing bodily harm.
He was not found guilty on two counts related to a 16-year-old fan.
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Back in 2019, Hoggard pleaded not guilty to sexual assault causing bodily harm and sexual interference during a two-day preliminary hearing. The singer chose to be tried by a jury over a judge alone.
It was initially scheduled that Hoggard would stand trial in January 2021, but COVID-19 public health measures made the courts put new jury trials on hold, so his trial was postponed several times.
In March 2018, the Toronto Police Service’s Sex Crimes unit began investigating Hoggard after several sexual misconduct allegations against the band came to light on social media in February of that same year.
Hoggard tweeted a statement denying the allegations on February 28 after CBC broke a story about an Ottawa woman saying she was allegedly raped by Hoggard.
“I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual behaviour in my life. Ever,” said Hoggard.
However, he added in the admission that he has “behaved in a way that objectified women.”
— Jacob Hoggard (@JacobHoggard) March 1, 2018
He tweeted another statement on March 2 preceding another allegation of sexual assault against him.
“I did not engage in any sexual activity without her consent,” said Hoggard. “The allegation is startling and categorically untrue.”
— Jacob Hoggard (@JacobHoggard) March 3, 2018
According to the Toronto Police, Hoggard’s arrest stemmed from incidents dating back to 2016, in which police say Hoggard met three separate women on three separate dates and “committed a sexual assault on each of them.”
Hedley has been on an indefinite hiatus since these allegations came to light.
With files from Daily Hive staff
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