Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard opts for jury over judge-alone sexual assault trial

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has elected to be tried for sexual assault before a jury, rather than by judge alone.

The Hedley frontman is facing a sexual assault charge for an incident alleged to have happened on June 25, 2016, in Kirkland Lake, Ont.

A lawyer for Hoggard told a Haileybury, Ont., court Wednesday that the musician has opted to have his case heard in the Superior Court of Ontario.

Hoggard’s next appearance is slated for Jan. 19 before a trial scheduling court.

He was originally charged in March with sexual assault causing bodily harm, but prosecutors later said they would proceed instead with a lesser charge of sexual assault.

Hoggard was granted bail in a separate case in October after launching an appeal of his five-year sentence for sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman.