The sentencing hearing resumes today for Jacob Hoggard

TORONTO – Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is a risk to society, prosecutors said Friday during the Headley frontman’s sentencing hearing for sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman, while the defense pointed to a psychiatric report that said he was at low risk of reoffending.

The Crown wants it Hoggard behind bars for six to seven years, while the defense is asking for three to four years.

Crown attorney Kelly Slate said a psychiatric report completed after the trial showed Hoggard he has shown no remorse and has not taken responsibility for his actions.

“Because (Hoggard) admits no responsibility, the Crown’s position is that he could put himself in that position again,” Slate said, “and that he is a risk to society.”

The 2016 sexual assault took place in a Toronto hotel room. The Ottawa woman told the hearing last week that what happened will haunt her for the rest of her life.

Hoggard was also charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm in the case of a teenage fan, as well as sexual assault involving this applicant, but was found not guilty of those offences.

The 38-year-old Hoggard pleaded not guilty to all charges.

His lawyer, Megan Savard, said a psychiatric analysis by Dr. Hai Blum, a forensic psychiatrist, concluded Hoggard had a low risk of reoffending, was not sexually deviant, and was not a psychopath.

The court heard Bloom discovered this HoggardHis celebrity played a big role in his pursuit of sexual conquests – that the musician has had sex with around 200 people in his life and “60 to 70 percent would be Headley fans”.

The group disbanded after the allegations against Hoggard appeared in 2018

“What Dr. Bloom found is that this is a person who is capable of personal growth,” Savar said.

“It really contextualizes his behavior instead of a big question mark as to whether this is a serial sexual predator, and we have positive evidence that this is not the case.”

But the Crown said Bloom’s report should be given little weight in sentencing. Slate pointed to Blum’s own admission in the report of his limitations — chiefly that he relied on interviews with Hoggardhis wife, family and friends and no interviews with the victim or any of the musician’s previous girlfriends and sexual partners.

Slate said the sentence should be well above the normal range of three to five years for several reasons, including the violent nature of the sexual assault.

“In many cases, Mr. Hoggard overpowered and held (her) against her will and this repeated abuse for sexual gratification continued for hours,” Crown attorney Jill Witkin said.

The court heard earlier Hoggard met the woman through Tinder and two weeks later arranged for her to travel to Toronto to meet for sex in a hotel room.

But after entering the room, the woman told the court, Hoggard “became a completely different person” and “a complete psychopath.”

The woman testified Hoggard repeatedly raped her, choked her, called her a “dirty little pig” while making animal noises and dragged her into the bathroom where he asked her to urinate on him and she said no.

She said she thought she was going to die while being suffocated.

Hoggard later told Bloom that he maintained his innocence after the jury’s verdict, saying the encounter was consensual. The woman testified that the entire incident from start to finish was not consensual.

“The Crown’s position is his lack of remorse and failure to take responsibility for his actions limits his potential for rehabilitation,” Slate said.

Hoggard will also be given the opportunity to go to court, although he is not required to do so.

Sentencing is expected on October 20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on October 14, 2022.