Ontario Court Denies Bail for Musician Jacob Hoggard Amid Appeal Effort

A justice from Ontario’s Appeal Court has denied bail to Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard as he seeks to contest his sexual assault conviction at the Supreme Court. This decision follows a bail hearing presided over by Justice Jill Copeland earlier this week, soon after Hoggard commenced his five-year imprisonment.

Jacob Hoggard, the former lead singer of the band Hedley, was found guilty in June 2022 of sexual assault causing bodily harm to a woman from Ottawa. Recently, he sought permission to appeal to the Supreme Court and requested bail at Ontario’s Appeal Court simultaneously. His legal counsel argues that the Appeal Court did not correctly apply the criteria to determine if a trial judge’s error was “harmless.”

Justice Copeland stated that given Hoggard’s conviction has been unanimously confirmed by the Appeal Court, it is “unlikely” he will receive leave to appeal from the Supreme Court. Hence, she determined that the public interest in enforcing Hoggard’s sentence surpasses his interest in a second assessment of his conviction.

Nevertheless, Copeland remarked that if the Supreme Court grants leave to appeal, there could be grounds to reassess Hoggard’s bail status. In the meantime, Hoggard, who has reportedly faced threats while in custody and has spent time in solitary confinement, will remain incarcerated.

This report was first published by The Canadian Press on September 13, 2024. It follows Ontario’s highest court upholding Hoggard’s conviction last month, with the appeal court indicating that no major legal errors or miscarriage of justice occurred during his trial.