Jurors wrap up second day of deliberations in Hoggard sexual assault trial

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard arrives alongside his wife Rebekah Asselstine, for his sexual assault trial at the Toronto courthouse on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Toronto. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

TORONTO — Jurors have wrapped up a second day of deliberations in the sexual assault trial of Jacob Hoggard, the lead singer of the Canadian band Hedley.

Deliberations began Tuesday afternoon and are set to resume Thursday.

Hoggard, who is 37, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm and one of sexual interference, a charge that refers to the sexual touching of someone under 16.

Prosecutors allege the singer violently and repeatedly raped a teenage fan and a young Ottawa woman in Toronto-area hotels in the fall of 2016.

They also allege he groped the teen backstage after a Hedley show in Toronto in the spring of 2016 when she was 15.

The defence says the groping never happened and Hoggard had consensual sexual encounters with both complainants.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2022.

The Canadian Press