Jurors in Hoggard sex assault trial continue deliberations after reporting deadlock

Jurors in the sexual assault trial of Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard reviewed testimony and asked more questions Thursday, after telling the court earlier in the day that they could not reach a unanimous agreement on some counts.

The jury indicated it was deadlocked Thursday morning, and was told to keep deliberating. Ontario Superior Court Justice Gillian Roberts instructed them to listen to each other's views with an open mind.

Hours later, jurors requested a playback of the testimony given by a close friend of the younger complainant. Both the complainant and her friend were teenagers at the time of the alleged incidents.

Then, in the early evening, they asked for clarification on how to make use of the evidence in a call between Hoggard and the second complainant that was recorded without her knowledge days after their encounter.

Hoggard, the lead singer of the band Hedley, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm and one of sexual interference, a charge that refers to the sexual touching of someone under 16.

Prosecutors allege he violently and repeatedly raped a teenage fan and a young Ottawa woman in separate incidents in the fall of 2016. They also allege he groped the teen after a Hedley show in Toronto in April 2016, when she was 15.

The defence contends the complainants had consensual sex with Hoggard and lied about it later to cover up their embarrassment after being rejected. It also says the groping never happened.

Deliberations began Tuesday afternoon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2022.