The jury trial of Jacob Hoggard, who has been charged with three counts of a sexual nature for alleged acts built in 2016 in the Toronto area, will begin Thursday morning in Toronto.
The Hedley lead singer was accused of inappropriate sexual handling and sexual assault causing bodily harm to a first wife, who was a minor at the time.
He was also charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm to the second woman.
The alleged facts allegedly took place in April, September and November 2016 in Toronto and Mississauga.
In addition to the two alleged victims, the publication ban will also cover the identities of six witnesses in this trial.
Jacob Hoggard has pleaded not guilty to all three cases.
A jury of 14 people, ten men and four women, was selected on Wednesday after a day of hearings. The judge, the Crown and the defense made their choice after hearing the 40 candidates who had already been selected.
Since an amendment to the law under the Harper government in 2011, high-profile trials in the country have required a jury of 14 citizens, but deliberations are still held behind closed doors. between 12 jurors.
The names of the two jurors will be drawn at random and they will be thanked before deliberations begin (alternates will not inadvertently replace jurors who fell ill during the trial, Ed).
The 37-year-old musician, who has lived in Vancouver since being released on bail in 2018, returned to Ontario to attend his trial.
Wearing a black tie suit and white shirt, he sat at a table behind his two lawyers in the courtroom. His wife occupied a bench in the courtroom.
The jury was sworn in before Justice Gillian Roberts of the Ontario Superior Court gave her opening speech on the role of jurors.
The magistrate, for example, formally forbade them to consult newspapers or research the Internet outside the courtroom.
The trial will therefore open Thursday morning with the Crown indictment and the testimony of the first witnesses of the prosecution.
The hearings, which take place in a hybrid format (virtual and face-to-face, editor’s note), should last 4 to 5 weeks.
Health measures are required in court and an overflow room has been set up to accommodate members of the public who cannot be vaccinated. However, masks and physical distancing are mandatory.
Source: Radio-Canada
