Jacob Hoggard

Jacob William Hoggard (born July 9, 1984) is a Canadian former singer and songwriter best known as the lead singer of the pop-rock band Hedley. Before Hedley was formed, Hoggard competed on the second season of Canadian Idol in 2004; he placed third. In 2018, he was arrested and charged with sexual assault and subsequently announced he would no longer be touring or performing until further notice.

Jacob Hoggard was born on July 9, 1984, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. He was raised in Abbotsford, British Columbia and Surrey, British Columbia. He is of partial Italian origin. He was educated in Surrey, British Columbia at Senator Reid Elementary School and Mennonite Educational Institute, Yale Secondary School in Abbotsford and at L.A. Matheson Secondary School, he was also in the City Central Learning Center.

Hoggard started his career on Canadian Idol. He appeared on the second season of the show and made it to the final three. He formed the band Hedley along with Dave Rosin, Tommy Mac and Chris Crippin. The band released their debut single "On My Own", which reached number 1 on the Canadian Singles Chart.

In 2010, Hoggard took part of Young Artists for Haiti and the song reached number 1 on the Canadian Hot 100 charts.

Hoggard took part of Artists Against Bullying in 2012 to record and release a remake of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" for Bullying Awareness Week. In 2015, Hoggard was named the host of the 2015 Juno Awards.

Hoggard married his high school sweetheart in 2005, which ended in divorce in 2009. Hoggard married Canadian actress Rebekah Asselstine on December 31, 2018.

Allegations of sexual misconduct and rape

In 2005, Hoggard and his band members were suspects in a sexual assault case where a minor was found unconscious and shoeless outside a London, Ontario, venue where the band had played. Rohypnol was present in the victim's blood. The police investigation ended when the victim refused a rape kit and the band sent the venue management a letter stating any discussion of the incident would result in a lawsuit.

In February 2018, he announced that he would be stepping away from his career indefinitely following Hedley's tour.

On July 23, 2018, Hoggard was charged with one count of sexual interference and two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm, involving a child under 16 and a woman. His trial date was scheduled to begin on 28 November 2018. On August 23, 2019, it was announced that Hoggard's trial would begin on September 27. On January 25, 2021, Hoggard's trial was pushed back to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2022, Hoggard's trial was once again postponed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It began on May 2, 2022.