Hoggard found guilty of sexual assault

Frontman for band Hedley convicted in one instance, but acquitted of same charge against teen

Warning: This story contains graphic content.

TORONTO Jacob Hoggard, the frontman for the Canadian band Hedley, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman but acquitted of the same charge against a teenage fan.

Hoggard, 37, has also been found not guilty of sexual interference, a charge that relates to the sexual touching of someone under 16, in an incident involving the same fan when she was 15.

The singer, who wore a dark suit, hugged his wife in the courtroom after the verdict was read.

Prosecutors alleged Hoggard groped the teen after a Hedley show in Toronto in April 2016, then violently raped her in a Torontoarea hotel room later that year after she turned 16. They alleged he violently raped the Ottawa woman in a Toronto hotel in November 2016.

Both complainants testified they were left bleeding and bruised. They each said Hoggard slapped them, spit in their mouths and called them derogatory names such as “slut” and “whore” during the encounters, and that he restricted their breathing at one point.

The younger complainant said Hoggard pushed her face into the pillows until she thought she would pass out, while the Ottawa woman said he choked her so hard she feared she would die. The second complainant also said that, on one occasion, Hoggard dragged her by the legs into the bathroom and asked her to urinate on him, then said he would urinate on her, both of which she refused.

The Crown urged jurors to consider the similarities between the events recalled by two women who have never met or spoken to each other, arguing they reflect a pattern of conduct.

Hoggard, meanwhile, testified during trial 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 — including slapping, spitting, name-calling and urination — were among his sexual preferences and therefore could have happened. He described the type of slapping he enjoys as more of a gentle tapping. He testified his memory of the encounters wasn’t clear, but he knew the complainants consented based on their verbal and nonverbal cues, and because it was his practice to pay attention to his sexual partners.

Defence lawyers alleged the women lied about being raped after Hoggard rejected them because they were embarrassed and upset that he had used them for sex.

Hoggard, 37, has also been found not guilty of sexual interference, a charge that relates to the sexual touching of someone under 16