Jacob Hoggard: Canadian singer convicted of sexual assault

Hoggard was seen hugging his wife in the courtroom after the jury’s verdict was read

(Getty Images)

Jacob Hoggard, frontman for the Canadian band Hedley, has been convicted of sexual assault for causing bodily harm to an Ottawa woman in the fall of 2016.

The trial, where a jury deliberated for six days, also acquitted the 37-year-old singer of groping and raping a teenage fan when she was 15 years old.

Hoggard was seen hugging his wife in the courtroom after the jury’s verdict was read.

Prosecutors alleged that Hoggard groped the teen after a Hedley show in Toronto in April 2016, and then raped her in a Toronto-area hotel room later that year after she turned 16.

They alleged he raped the Ottawa woman in a Toronto hotel in November 2016.

Both complainants testified they were left bleeding and bruised. They each said that among other things, Hoggard slapped them, spat in their mouths, and called them derogatory names. They also testified that he restricted their breathing at one point.

Jacob Hoggard leaves a Toronto courthouse alongside his wife Rebekah Asselstine (Getty Images)

During the roughly month-long trial, Hoggard testified his memory of the encounters wasn’t clear, but he said that he had consensual, “passionate” sex with the complainants and that he didn’t touch the teen sexually until after she turned 16.

“I knew when she turned 16,” Hoggard testified, adding he made sure “to be responsible and not break the law. ”

He denied choking or restricting the complainants’ breathing, but said some of the other things they described were among his sexual preferences and therefore could have happened.

The jury began deliberating on Tuesday last week, and twice indicated it was deadlocked on “some” counts. Each time, jurors were asked to keep trying.

They went on to replay the bulk of the testimony given by the two complainants and Hoggard, and also asked several questions on legal issues, including the definition of consent.

Additional reporting by AP

If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.