Jacob Hoggard has been granted day parole for six months
The former Hedley musician, convicted of sexual assault causing bodily harm, had requested full parole but was denied
Jacob Hoggard, the former lead singer of Canadian pop-rock band Hedley, has been granted day parole for six months.
Hoggard has been serving a prison sentence after being convicted of sexual assault causing bodily harm. He appealed the court’s decision after his sentencing in 2022, and was granted bail. In 2024, his appeal was denied, and his five-year prison sentence began.
As reported by Global, Hoggard had recently requested full parole but was denied, with the parole board saying in its decision that Hoggard presented numerous risk factors.
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“Your behaviour has involved violent, degrading and self-serving actions and has the potential to present a significant risk to society should you face the same urges which prompted your offending,” the board’s decision said. “It is the board’s opinion that you will not, by reoffending, present an undue risk to society if released on day parole and that your release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen.”
Per his parole conditions, Hoggard is not permitted to have contact with women under the age of 18, unless he is accompanied by an adult who is aware of his conviction. He is not allowed to have more than one cellular device, and he must share any text message transcripts with his parole supervisor if asked.
“You have said that you communicated with a 15-year-old female and lied to her with a view to manipulating her into having sex with you. You groomed her over an extended time,” the parole board explained in its justification of the conditions. “You exploited a position of power with younger females. Your contact with underage females should be supervised, as should your use of telecommunications devices to monitor compliance with your conditions of release and as such, mitigate your risk.”
Hoggard won’t be allowed to live with his family, the board said, and will spend time in a halfway house.
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Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
