Convicted rapist Jacob Hoggard will be back in court in the fall for his sentencing hearing.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Gillian Roberts set Oct. 6 to hear from the Crown and defence on how long the former Hedley frontman should serve after being found guilty last Sunday of sexual assault causing bodily harm during a hotel hookup in November 2016 with an Ottawa woman he’d met a few weeks earlier on Tinder.
She testified that despite her repeatedly saying no, he violently raped her multiple times, slapped her, spit in her mouth and called her derogatory names. The jury, which spent six days in deliberation, acquitted Hoggard, 37, on a second charge of sexual assault causing bodily harm and sexual interference in relation to a teenaged fan, also in the fall of 2016.The jury wasn’t told the Vancouver musician faces a third charge of sexual assault causing bodily harm — he was charged in March after a woman came forward to allege she was raped by the singer in Kirkland Lake in June 2016, which predates the other counts.
In a statement after the verdict, lawyer Megan Savard said Hoggard was “disappointed” with the verdict but “grateful that the jury rightfully acquitted him” on the charges related to the younger complainant. “He looks forward to the next steps in the criminal process. This case is far from over. It raises novel issues that will benefit from the Court of Appeal’s attention,” Savard said. “Mr. Hoggard looks forward to defending against the outstanding charge. He has denied this allegation and will plead not guilty.”