Jacob Hoggard appeals sexual assault conviction in Ontario court [Video]

Ontario’s court of appeal is hearing arguments today as Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard appeals his sexual assault conviction.

Hoggard was sentenced to five years behind bars in October 2022 after being found guilty of sexual assault causing bodily harm against an Ottawa woman, an offence the presiding judge called a “particularly degrading rape.”

The musician was granted bail hours after being sentenced, pending his appeal in the case.

Court documents filed by Hoggard’s lawyers say he is requesting a new trial as he appeals his conviction on four grounds, including that the trial judge erred by admitting the evidence of a clinical psychologist on the neurobiology of trauma.

They also argue the trial judge wrongly permitted the Crown to argue that the expert’s evidence supported the credibility of the woman Hoggard was found to have sexually assaulted.

The legal team further argues that the trial judge delivered an “impermissibly imbalanced” jury charge …