Jacob Hoggard sentenced to five-year prison term for sexual assault
After a four-week trial, the Canadian artist was convicted guilty in June; an appeal is anticipated
The multi-platinum pop-rock band Hedley’s former frontman, Canadian singer Jacob Hoggard, was given a five-year prison term for sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman this morning (Oct. 20).
Justice Gillian Roberts of the Ontario Superior Court handed down the sentence to the 38-year-old.
Hoggard declined to participate in the hearing, which started in person on October 6 and resumed through Zoom on October 14. He was present in court for the sentencing, which was followed by an embrace from his wife before being escorted out.
A jury found Hoggard guilty of sexual assault resulting in physical harm to a woman only identified as “JB” in June after a four-week trial. Hoggard could have spent up to 14 years behind bars. The Crown sought a sentence of between six to seven years in jail; the defense asked for three to four years.
For about an hour, Justice Roberts read out portions of her sentencing conclusion, before handing down the sentence.
“Ultimately, the total sentence must be proportionate to the gravity of the offending conduct and the circumstances of the offender, including his degree of responsibility,” she noted. “It must be sufficient to reflect the inherent harmfulness of a manipulative and particularly degrading rape.”
She then asked Hoggard to stand. “In all the circumstances of this offense, and this offender, I believe a fit and appropriate sentence is five years.”
A notice of appeal has already been sent by Hoggard’s legal team. A lawsuit for CAN$2.8 million ($2 million USD) has also been launched by the victim.
Hoggard was found guilty in the case of one count of sexual assault that resulted in physical harm, but not guilty of the other two accusations against the other woman, one of which was for sexual interference and the other was for the same offence (referring to a person under the age of 16).
A Toronto court heard the case, which included two ladies, one of whom was a minor at the time. The separate claimed attacks took place in Hoggard’s hotel room in 2016. The Greater Toronto Area is home to one woman, who is from Ottawa.
Hoggard entered a not-guilty plea to all charges after taking the stand in his own defence.
The verdict was announced six days after it became known that a fresh charge had been withheld from the public since March in order to protect the integrity of the current jury. Hoggard will go through a fresh trial for one count of sexual assault that resulted in physical damage. The alleged rape allegedly took place in 2016 while the band was on tour in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.