Jacob Hoggard Acquitted in 2016 Sexual Assault Case

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard was acquitted on Friday of charges of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The case, which concluded with a nearly two-week trial, saw conflicting narratives from both the singer and his accuser. The verdict was announced in Haileybury, a community within Temiskaming Shores, Ontario, after the jury deliberated for less than six hours.

Hoggard, the former frontman of the band Hedley, who appeared in court in a dark suit, pleaded not guilty to the charge. Although found not guilty in this case, Hoggard remains incarcerated, serving a five-year sentence for a separate sexual assault conviction, details of which were not presented to jurors during the trial.

Consent was the pivotal issue in the proceedings, with both the defense and the prosecution conceding that a sexual encounter occurred between Hoggard and the complainant in his hotel room in Kirkland Lake in June 2016. During the trial, both Hoggard and the complainant, whose identity is under a publication ban, testified.

The complainant, who was 19 at the time of the alleged incident, claimed Hoggard physically and sexually assaulted her, using derogatory language during the encounter. She described being frightened and repeatedly resisting Hoggard’s advances. In contrast, Hoggard maintained that the encounter was entirely consensual, characterizing it as a one-night stand that followed mutual flirting.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Robin Tremblay provided final instructions to the jury, emphasizing the need for the jury to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt regarding any lack of consent to reach a guilty verdict. He clarified that consent to one sexual act does not imply consent to all, and highlighted the importance of not drawing conclusions about what consensual encounters should look like.

The defense argued that the complainant’s story contained inconsistencies and alleged she fabricated the incident to safeguard her relationships. Meanwhile, prosecutors argued there was no motive for the complainant to lie, noting that few people in her life were aware of the incident. Prosecutor Peter Keen recognized minor inconsistencies in her testimony but insisted they did not weaken the central allegations.

The jury was not informed of Hoggard’s prior trial in Toronto in 2022, where he was convicted of sexual assault causing bodily harm against an Ottawa woman and acquitted on charges involving a teenage fan. Hoggard is currently appealing his conviction through the Supreme Court of Canada.