Hedley frontman facing three sex charges
Toronto police have charged the frontman of the rock band Hedley with three sexual offences involving two women.
Police say 34-year-old Jacob Hoggard was arrested Monday and is scheduled to appear in a Toronto courtroom on Thursday.
He is charged with one count of sexual interference and two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm.
The Criminal Code says sexual interference involves the touching for a sexual purpose, directly or indirectly, of a person under the age of 16 with a part of the body or with an object.
Police allege the offences happened on three dates in 2016 after a man met with two women on separate occasions.
Hoggard’s lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
Hoggard, who is from Vancouver, has denied ever engaging in non-consensual sexual behaviour, but has said he behaved in a way that objectifies women.
In a news release, police said they are concerned there may be other complainants.
The Vancouver-based band played its last show before an “indefinite hiatus” in Kelowna, B.C., on March 24.
The two-time Juno winning band had been dropped by its management team, blacklisted by scores of radio stations and abandoned by musicians booked as tour openers.