Jacob Hoggard, the leader of 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, was also found not guilty of sexual interference, a charge related to the sexual contact of a person under the age of 16, in an incident involving the same fan when he was 15 years old.
Prosecutors allege that Hoggard palpated the teenager behind the scenes after a Hedley show in Toronto in April 2016, then violently raped her in a hotel room in the Toronto area. late that year, after turning 16.
He allegedly violently raped an Ottawa woman in a Toronto hotel in November 2016. The two complainants testified that they were left bleeding and injured.
Hoggard testified during the trial that she had consensual and “passionate” sex with the complainants and did not sexually touch the teenager until she was 16 years old.
Defense attorneys alleged that the complainants made up the allegations after Hoggard rejected them.
More will come.