Judicial pre-trial scheduled in Jacob Hoggard sexual assault case

HAILEYBURY, Ont. – A judicial pre-trial has been scheduled in a northeastern court in the sexual assault case of Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard.

The pre-trial, which allows Crown and defence attorneys to seek the judge’s input on issues related to the case, is set for Feb. 17 in Haileybury, Ont.

A Crown attorney and Hoggard’s defence lawyer made a brief appearance before a trial scheduling court on Thursday to set that date.

The Hedley frontman is facing a sexual assault charge for an incident alleged to have happened on June 25, 2016, in Kirkland Lake, Ont.

Hoggard was originally charged in March with sexual assault causing bodily harm, but prosecutors later said they would proceed instead with a lesser charge of sexual assault.

Last month, his lawyer said Hoggard had elected to be tried in Superior Court of Justice before a jury, rather than by judge alone.

Hoggard was granted bail in a separate case in October after launching an appeal of his five-year sentence for sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2023.

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