Hedley Singer Jacob Hoggard Accused of Rape by Ottawa Woman: Report

Warning: This story contains graphic details of an alleged sexual assault.

An Ottawa woman who matched with Hedley’s lead singer Jacob Hoggard on Tinder told CBC he brutally raped her after the pair met up in November 2016.

The latest allegations come after several sexual misconduct allegations about the Canadian band, who’ve been accused of targeting fans as young as 14. One allegation included a police investigation into a drugged concertgoer back in 2015. The band has denied all of the allegations although they said they "engaged in a lifestyle that incorporated certain rock and roll clichés." They have been dropped from the upcoming Juno awards and several radio stations. Their management group Watchdog Management and The Feldman Agency, have also cut ties with them.

The 24-year-old woman, who CBC did not name, said she started chatting with Hoggard, 33, when he was in Ottawa for a WE Day concert in November 2016. They went from using Tinder to Snapchat.

She told CBC Hoggard bought her train tickets to come see him in Toronto two weeks later; he was staying at the Thompson Hotel. She said she “expected sex” but that Hoggard completely crossed the line once they were together.

Hoggard told CBC he had consensual sex with the woman.

"At no time did Jacob act badly or do anything without [her] consent,” his lawyer said in a statement.

The woman alleges that once they got into Hoggard’s hotel room, he started kissing her and she pushed him off him. Then they moved down the hall into a different room, apparently the one that Hoggard intended to stay in.

They started watching a movie in the second room, but the woman told CBC about 10 minutes in, Hoggard flipped her onto her stomach, slapped and spit on her, and penetrated her anally. She said she began crying and told him to stop. He didn’t stop, she said, and wasn’t wearing a condom.

“He just kept telling me that I was being a good girl and petting my head,” the woman told CBC. She also said Hoggard grunted and called her a “dirty little pig.”

She said she saw her reflection in a large mirror positioned over the bed, and could see that Hoggard was choking her. The woman alleged Hoggard dragged her off the bed and into the bathroom, repeatedly asking if he could urinate on her and vice versa, but that she refused. Over the course of several hours, she said he repeatedly raped her anally and vaginally, to the point where she was bleeding. At some point during the alleged assaults, he ordered room service, she said.

Afterwards, the woman said Hoggard ordered her a cab, while she was still crying.

The CBC said it corroborated parts of the woman’s story with friends whom she confided in afterwards. She also provided a note from a doctor’s visit that took place after the incident, which noted that she believed she was a sexual assault victim.

The woman said she was traumatized by the incident, and has had repeated nightmares, but did not want to report it to police because she blamed herself for meeting him in the first place.

After the alleged assault, she said Hoggard texted her to tell her he had a great time with her. She said the next day, she accused him of rape. He blocked her number after telling her not to contact him again, she said.

Using the hashtag #outHedley2k18, numerous Hedley fans have accused members of the band of sexual misconduct.

The band responded by saying that while it respects the #MeToo movement, the allegations against the group are false.

“The recent allegations against us posted on social media are simply unsubstantiated and have not been validated. We would hope that people will bear-in-mind the context in which these unsupported accusations have been made before passing judgment on us as individuals or as a band.”

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