Jacob Hoggard’s Sexual Assault Conviction Upheld

Ontario’s top court has upheld the sexual assault conviction of Jacob Hoggard, the former lead singer of the band Hedley.

Hoggard was found guilty in June 2022 of sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman and was sentenced to five years in prison. After being sentenced, he was released on bail while waiting for an appeal.

During the appeal, his lawyers argued that the trial judge made mistakes, particularly in allowing a clinical psychologist, Lori Haskell, to talk about trauma during the trial.

Despite these arguments, the court unanimously decided that the trial was fair and there wasn’t any significant error that would change the outcome. The appeal was dismissed.

This decision means Hoggard will now begin his prison sentence, which he had temporarily avoided while waiting for the appeal results.

The appeal court, however, pointed out that allowing expert testimony about trauma, like that of Haskell, could complicate future trials. They suggested that clear jury instructions might be all that’s needed without expert input.

Hoggard still faces another trial regarding a different sexual assault case, set for September in Haileybury, Ontario.