Disgraced Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard granted day parole for six months

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is found not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in northern Ontario eight years ago.

Disgraced Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard, who was convicted of sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman, has been granted day parole for six months.

In their decision published earlier in June, members of the Parole Board of Canada found that Hoggard does not “present an undue risk to society if released on day parole” and that his release “will contribute to the protection of society” by facilitating his “reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen.”

In 2022, a Toronto jury found Hoggard guilty of sexual assault causing bodily harm against an Ottawa woman while finding him not guilty of sexually assaulting another complainant.

He was also accused of sexually assaulting a third woman but acquitted on those charges in 2024.

He began serving his prison sentence in August 2024 after an appeal was dismissed.

Hoggard will now be released to a community-based residential facility. The board denied his request for full parole.

After talking on Tinder for several days in 2016, Hoggard and the Ottawa woman met at a downtown hotel, where he sexually assaulted her.

“Notwithstanding her lack of consent, you proceeded to engage in various forms of aggressive, degrading, violent, and unprotected sexual acts. The victim sustained injury through your physical violence, and she later said that at times she feared for her life due to your aggressive behaviour,” the parole board’s decision read.

The singer is currently serving a five-year sentence.

Hoggard admits guilt

According to the parole board’s decision, Hoggard maintained his innocence even after his appeal was dismissed. He pleaded not guilty to the charges during the trial.

“At intake, you only admitted that you behaved aggressively but denied behaving violently or in a degrading manner and denied that the victim asked you to stop. After completing correctional programming, you admitted that you did not have the victim’s consent,” the decision read.

However, during his parole hearing, Hoggard told the board that he knew what he had done was wrong when allegations surfaced but denied it because he felt “embarrassed and afraid.”

According to the board, Hoggard also acknowledged the violence of “re-victimization” in putting the victim through a trial.

“You said that you selfishly used denial to protect yourself and that you let it get out of control without being brave and strong enough to confront the truth. You maintained your denial with your family and spouse,” the board’s decision read.

“You said that you grew very comfortable with lying to them until you came to prison, though it appears that this continued beyond that time as your April 2026 Correctional Plan states that it was only very recently that you explicitly disclosed your guilt to your wife. Nonetheless, it appears that you have made some progress in accepting responsibility for your behaviour.”

According to the board, Hoggard also said he wanted to be a good role model for his son and would not plan to pursue a music career in the future.

“You said that you are ashamed of what it took to get you to where you are now but that you are grateful for the opportunity it provided, though you were not proud of having harmed someone as seriously as you did,” the board’s decision read.

During his hearing, Hoggard described to the board the process of coming clean with his wife as “slipping slowly into the bath.”

“Though your wife and family remain supportive, you have shown your willingness and ability to deceive them for years such that the board believes you require professional, arm’s length supervision. Any gains you have made while serving sentence should first be tested in a gradual and structured manner before a more liberal form of release,” the board said.

Hoggard’s parole conditions

The Correctional Service of Canada supported Hoggard’s request for day parole, citing his successful period of bail, progress in his correctional plan and the supports he has in the community.

The board imposed several conditions on his day parole, including no direct or indirect contact with the victim or her family; immediately reporting all sexual and non-sexual relationships and friendships with females and any changes to the status to his supervisor; and not being in the presence of sex trade workers.

The singer must also not be in the presence of any female children under the age of 18 unless accompanied by a responsible adult who knows his criminal history and not own or possess more than one mobile communication device or SIM card without the supervisor’s permission.

Upon the request of his parole supervisor, Hoggard also must provide his billing statements showing all incoming and outgoing calls and provide unlocked telecommunication devices to allow monitoring of apps.

Citing his testimony that he communicated with a teenage girl and “groomed her over an extended time,” the board said, “You exploited a position of power with younger females. Your contact with underage females should be supervised, as should your use of telecommunications devices to monitor compliance with your conditions of release and as such, mitigate your risk.”

With files from The Canadian Press