Closing arguments expected in ex-Hedley singer Jacob Hoggard’s sexual assault trial

By The Canadian Press on October 3, 2024.

HAILEYBURY, Ont. – A northeastern Ontario jury is expected to hear closing arguments today in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard’s sexual assault trial.

Both Hoggard and his accuser took the stand in the trial, offering starkly different accounts of a June 2016 encounter in Kirkland Lake, Ont.

The Crown and defence agree that a sexual encounter took place in the Hedley singer’s hotel room following the band’s concert and a bonfire after-party, but prosecutors are seeking to prove it wasn’t consensual.

The complainant says Hoggard raped, choked and hit her, and called her names like “dirty little piggy.”

Hoggard says they flirted all night, then had a consensual one-night stand.

The defence is expected to conclude its case this morning before closing statements begin.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2024.

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