Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard sentenced to five years for sexual assault

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/20/jacob-hoggard-sexual-assault-sentenced-hedley-band

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Musician was found guilty earlier this year for sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman in a ‘particularly degrading rape’

Jacob Hoggard, the front man for the Canadian band Hedley, has been sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday after he was found guilty earlier this year of sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman in what the presiding judge called a “particularly degrading rape”.

Ontario superior court justice Gillian Roberts said she accepted the woman’s testimony in its entirety and said it involved “gratuitous degradation” and “gratuitous violence”.

The 2016 sexual assault took place in a Toronto hotel room and the Ottawa woman told Hoggard’s sentencing hearing that what happened will haunt her for the rest of her life.

The woman, who was in her early 20s at the time, said Hoggard choked her so hard she thought she was going to die. She testified the sexual assault lasted for hours.

Hoggard had also been charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm in the case of a teenage fan, as well as sexual interference involving that complainant, but was found not guilty.

The 38-year-old had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

A jury deliberated for six days and twice found itself deadlocked on “some counts” before finding Hoggard guilty in June of sexual assault causing bodily harm in the Ottawa woman’s case.

Hoggard said at trial that he had consensual, “passionate” sex with both complainants.

He denied choking the Ottawa woman, but said the other elements described, such as spitting and slapping were among his sexual preferences and could have happened.

At a sentencing hearing earlier this month, the Ottawa woman told court the incident left her paralyzed with fear and despair for months.

The woman, who cannot be named due to a standard publication ban, said the sexual assault robbed her of her confidence, her dreams and altered her life.

“I was never the same after that day,” she said. “A part of me died that day that I will never get back.”

Hoggard’s band, Hedley, rose to fame in Canada after he came in third on the reality show Canadian Idol in 2004.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html