TORONTO (AP) — Jacob Hoggard, lead singer of Canadian band Hedley, was found guilty of bodily harming an Ottawa woman on Sunday, but was acquitted against a young fan in the same case.
Hoggard, 37, was found not guilty of sexual interference when he was 15, on charges of sexually touching a person under the age of 16 in an incident involving the same young fan.
The singer hugged his wife in the courtroom after announcing the verdict.
Prosecutors alleged that Hoggard called the teenager after the Headley show in Toronto in April 2016 and subsequently raped her in a Toronto-area hotel room when she was 16 that year. They alleged that he raped an Ottawa woman at a Toronto hotel in November 2016.
Both applicants stated that they were covered in blood and bruises. They each said that, among other things, Hoggard hit them, spit in their mouths and gave them abusive names, and at one point restricted their breathing.
During the trial, which lasted nearly a month, Hoggard expressed that his memories of the encounters were vague, but said he had “enjoyed” consensual sex with the applicants and did not touch the younger person under 16. . .
“I knew it when I was 16,” Hoggard said, adding that he was trying to “be responsible and not break the law.” ”
He denied that the applicants had suffocated or had restricted breathing, but said that some of the other things they had described were among their sexual preferences and could have been due to this.
Jurors began deliberations on Tuesday and have twice stated that they are stuck at “some” points. Each time, the jurors are asked to keep trying. They then took most of the evidence provided by the two applicants and Hoggard, and also asked some questions about legal issues, including the definition of consent.
Hoggard’s band Hedley rose to fame after finishing third on the Canadian Idol reality show in 2004.
Source: Breitbart
