# Jacob Hoggard

Jacob William Hoggard (born July 9, 1984) is a Canadian former musician who was the lead singer for the pop rock band Hedley. Hoggard competed on the second season of Canadian Idol in 2004, where he placed third.
In 2018, Hoggard was arrested and charged with sexual assault. He has since been found guilty of sexual assault causing bodily harm and sentenced to five years in prison. After an appeal was dismissed, Hoggard began serving a five year sentence. He was found not guilty of a third charge of sexual assault by a jury in northeastern Ontario.

## Early life

Jacob Hoggard was born on July 9, 1984, in Burnaby, 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 Centre. Before appearing on Canadian Idol, Hoggard worked as a construction worker.

## Career

In 2003, Hoggard formed the band Hedley with Kevin Giesbrecht, Kevin Heeres, Ryan Federau, and Brandon McKay. Hoggard eventually started his career on Canadian Idol, who was challenged by his bandmates to appear on the show. He appeared on the second season of the show and auditioned in Vancouver after he had "been dragged to the audition after work" by his high school sweetheart performing "Forever in Blue Jeans". He advanced to the top 30 performing Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young". He soon made it to the top ten where he sang the songs "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" and "Space Oddity". Hoggard placed third on the show.
After Canadian Idol, he re-formed Hedley with Dave Rosin, Tommy Mac and Chris Crippin and signed to Universal Music Canada in 2005. The band later released their debut single "On My Own", which reached number one on the Canadian Singles Chart. They released the album's Hedley, Famous Last Words and The Show Must Go in 2005, 2007 and 2009, respectively. Hoggard went on to produce the band's next four studio releases, Storms (2011), Wild Life (2013), Hello (2015) and Cageless (2017). He also co-wrote many of the group's hits including "Crazy for You", "Perfect", "For the Nights I Can't Remember" and "Anything".
In 2008, he co-wrote the songs "Tonight, I Love You" and "Kids" for Canadian pop rock band The Latency. In 2010, Hoggard part taken in Young Artists for Haiti to perform a rendition of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag". The song topped the Canadian Hot 100. In 2012, he also took part in Artists Against Bullying to record and release a remake of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" for Bullying Awareness Week. Hoggard hosted the Juno Awards of 2015. He co-wrote the single "Highway" by Canadian rock band Bleeker.

## Personal life

Hoggard married his high school sweetheart in 2005, which ended in divorce in 2009. Hoggard married Canadian actress Rebekah Asselstine on December 31, 2018, at the age of 34. Hoggard along with Hedley, partnered with Free The Children, travelling to Kenya in 2010 and India in 2011, promoting awareness about poverty and helping those in need. He also became the ambassador for the Canadian Cancer Society and precursor to WE Charity.

## Sexual offenses

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 March 2018, he announced that he would be stepping away from his music career indefinitely following Hedley's tour. Since announcing the indefinite hiatus from Hedley following the sexual assault allegations, Hoggard testified in court on May 24, 2022, that he has made a living as a carpenter in British Columbia.
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. Originally scheduled for November 28, 2018, his trial was postponed several times and eventually began on May 2, 2022. On June 5, 2022, a Toronto jury found Hoggard guilty of sexual assault causing bodily harm against an Ottawa woman in the fall of 2016. The jury also acquitted Hoggard of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old child who was a fan and one count of sexual interference. On October 20, 2022, Hoggard was sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman.
Hoggard was also charged in March 2022 with sexual assault causing bodily harm regarding a June 2016 encounter in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. The charge was made public on June 2. Hoggard was scheduled to appear in court on August 4, 2022. This accuser testified in September 2024 that Hoggard allegedly raped, hit and choked her before urinating on her in a hotel room after a Hedley concert. Hoggard was acquitted of the charge on October 4, 2024.
On August 16, 2024, Ontario's top court upheld the sexual assault conviction of Hoggard, dismissing his appeal and confirming his five-year prison sentence. It was confirmed that he has started to serve his sentence behind bars. On September 13, Ontario's top court dismissed Hoggard's application for bail, leading Hoggard to attempt an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

## Discography

* Hedley (2005)
* Famous Last Words (2007)
* The Show Must Go (2009)
* Storms (2011)
* Wild Life (2013)
* Hello (2015)
* Cageless (2017)

## Filmography

| Week | Theme | Song choice | Artist | Result |
| Audition | N/A | "Forever in Blue Jeans" | Neil Diamond | Advanced |
| Top 32 | N/A | "Only the Good Die Young" | Billy Joel | Advanced |
| Top 10 | Canadian Hits | "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" | Paul Anka | Safe |
| Top 9 | British Invasion | "Space Oddity" | David Bowie | Safe |
| Top 8 | Rock & Roll | "Everything" | Lifehouse | Safe |
| Top 7 | Lionel Richie | "Brick House" | Lionel Richie | Safe |
| Top 6 | Gordon Lightfoot | "Sundown" | Gordon Lightfoot | Bottom 2 |
| Top 5 | Summertime Hits | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | Aerosmith | Safe |
| Top 4 | Standards | "Straighten Up And Fly Right" "Unforgettable" | Nat King Cole | Safe |
| Top 3 | Judges' Choice | "If You Don't Know Me by Now" "I Want You to Want Me" | Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes Cheap Trick | Eliminated |