Complainant takes stand in Jacob Hoggard’s sexual assault trial as Crown begins case
Global News
Crown prosecutors in the sexual assault trial of Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard began their case on Tuesday.
Crown prosecutors in the sexual assault trial of Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard began their case on Tuesday by outlining allegations that he choked, slapped and urinated on a 19-year-old fan after a concert in northeastern Ontario.
Prosecutor Lilly Gates said in a brief opening statement that she expects the complainant will share that she was called a pig during an alleged June 2016 assault that involved vaginal penetration and attempted anal penetration.
“I expect you will hear that (she) did not want, nor did she consent to what Mr. Hoggard did to her in that hotel room that night,” the prosecutor told the jury.
Hoggard has pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual assault in the trial.
The Crown and defence agree that after their concert in Kirkland Lake, Hoggard’s band Hedley attended a bonfire with fans behind the Comfort Inn, where band members were staying.
An agreed statement of facts read out in court also established that Hoggard and the complainant had a sexual encounter in the lead singer’s hotel room.
The complainant took the stand for a short time on Tuesday afternoon at the courthouse in Haileybury, a community within Temiskaming Shores.
Her testimony focused on the events prior to the alleged assault.