Sex assault trial getting underway for Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard
The sex assault trial of Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is getting underway after multiple delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hoggard, dressed in a dark suit, was in a downtown Toronto courtroom Monday as a judge heard a few procedural matters in the case. Jury selection is expected to begin Wednesday.
One person who observed Monday's proceedings later held up a sign outside the courtroom expressing support for Hoggard and Hedley, the band he fronted. Some fans had previously attended hearings early in the case in 2018, even when Hoggard himself was not present.
Hoggard pleaded not guilty to sexual assault causing bodily harm and sexual interference during a two-day preliminary hearing in the summer of 2019.
He chose to be tried by a jury rather than a judge alone, and was initially scheduled to stand trial in January 2021.
But public health measures meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 prompted the courts to put new jury trials on hold for months at a time during the pandemic, and the trial was pushed back on several occasions.
It is now scheduled to run until early June.
Hoggard was arrested and charged in 2018 for alleged incidents involving a woman and a teenager that police have said took place in the Toronto area in 2016. The complainants cannot be identified due to a publication ban, nor can several witnesses.
Police began investigating the case after allegations surfaced suggesting Hoggard had inappropriate encounters with young fans.
The singer put out a statement long before his arrest in which he denied any non-consensual sexual conduct. But he acknowledged having behaved in a way that "objectified women" and was "reckless and dismissive of their feelings."
Hedley was dropped by its management team and blacklisted by several radio stations after the allegations emerged, and has been on indefinite hiatus since 2018.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

'No concessions' St-Onge says in $100M a year news deal with Google
The Canadian government has reached a deal with Google over the Online News Act that will see the tech giant pay $100 million annually to publishers, and continue to allow access to Canadian news content on its platform. This comes after Google had threatened to block news on its platform when the contentious new rules come into effect next month.
Here is what Canada's drug shortage situation looks like right now
Compared to the peak pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, Canada experienced an uptick in prescription drug shortages in 2022 that Health Canada says has continued throughout 2023.
opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears
With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.
U.S. says alleged murder plotter was directed by India and mentioned B.C. killing
U.S. officials have charged an Indian national in a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil – in a case they say is connected to the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
Manslaughter charges laid against man accused of trafficking gun to teen who killed Edmonton police officers
A 19-year-old man accused of trafficking a firearm to the 16-year-old boy who killed two Edmonton police officers has been charged with manslaughter.
'We wish we could've reached that kid earlier,' says online educator about boy's suicide after apparent sextortion
The chat may seem innocuous at first. The victims, often young men or boys, start communicating with someone posing as a young girl, typically on the popular social media platforms Instagram and Snapchat. But with sextortion, which occurs when people are blackmailed for money or sexual favours, 'sextorters' convince them to share a sexual photo or video.
opinion Five revelations from best-seller 'Endgame' that are sure to upset the Royal Family
Royal commentator Afua Hagan on five revelations in a new book that's sure to send shockwaves through the Royal Family's ranks.
Provinces are moving away from pap smears, but more infrastructure is needed
Some provinces are moving to HPV tests as the primary mode of cervical cancer screening, and others are close behind, an expert says.
Sask. man accused of sexually assaulting 3 boys arrested at daycare
An Assiniboia, Sask. man stands accused of sexually assaulting three boys under the age of 12 was arrested at a home-based daycare.