Disgraced Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard wins day parole
· Toronto Sun
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Scandal-plagued Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard has been granted day parole for sex assault.
He was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022. The Parole Board of Canada torpedoed his bid for full parole but granted him six months of day parole.
The board noted that the singer has “further work to do.” It added that Hoggard — who appeared via videocall from Bath Institution near Kingston — is beginning to make positive changes.
“I just want to use this as an opportunity to say that I’m sorry for the harm that I’ve caused,” Hoggard said at the hearing.
“It’s not lost on me that this is something I can’t take back. For that alone, I understand that even though that’s going to be difficult for me my whole life, it pales as a comparison to what I’ve taken away from somebody that doesn’t deserve it.”
Hoggard was convicted of sexually assaulting a young Brockville woman in a Toronto hotel room in 2016. He was acquitted on other charges relating to a 16-year-old fan and another woman.
Hoggard’s comments before the parole board
The musician had previously insisted he was innocent. Now, according to the Toronto Star , he told the panel that his crimes were “incredibly shameful, my career crumbled all around me.”
Among the top conditions for Hoggard’s day parole imposed by the Correctional Service of Canada is that he can’t be in contact with girls under the age of 18. This can only occur if he’s accompanied by another adult who is aware of his criminal history.
In addition, Hoggard cannot be in the presence of sex workers, cannot contact the victims, cannot have more than one mobile device, and continue his treatment plan.
Prior to his arrest and conviction, Hoggard had been living in B.C. and it’s expected that he will land in a halfway house there.
The panel said he was a “low risk of reoffending.”