HAILEYBURY, Ont. – Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard’s defence lawyer continued her cross-examination of the complainant in his sexual assault trial in a northeastern Ontario court on Thursday, where he has pleaded not guilty.
The complainant broke down in tears repeatedly on Tuesday as she detailed allegations that Hoggard raped, hit, choked and urinated on her in his hotel room after she attended his band’s concert and an after-party in Kirkland Lake, Ont., eight years ago.
Hoggard, the lead singer of the band Hedley, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual assault in the trial that’s taking place in the northern community of Haileybury, Ont.
Lawyer Megan Savard questioned the woman about the timeline of the evening, the layout of the hotel and several differences between her testimony this week and a statement she gave to police in 2022.
The complainant had testified this week that she was non-confrontational after Hoggard told her following the alleged assault that he had a girlfriend.
She told Savard on Thursday that she “made a mistake” when she said in her police statement that following his comments, she questioned whether Hoggard was ashamed of himself.
The complainant pushed back on suggestions from Savard that there was another inconsistency in the way she described her departure from the hotel room; that she posted online about the alleged assault; and that she sees Hoggard as wealthy person.
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