{"id":84824,"date":"2022-11-07T14:37:04","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T19:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=84824"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:37:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:08","slug":"hoggard-consequences-sexual-assault","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/hoggard-consequences-sexual-assault\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacob Hoggard’s celebrity did not protect him from the consequences of sexual assault"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Jacob Hoggard's celebrity did not protect him from the consequences of sexual assault\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

This article is republished<\/a> from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. All photos provided by The Conversation<\/a> from various sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a content warning, please note that article includes information about sexual violence. We understand that this can trigger strong reactions and we encourage the community to connect with Carleton University’s Sexual Assault Support Centre<\/a> and\/or Health and Counselling Services<\/a> for support. Additional community supports can also be found here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Actors, movie executives<\/a>, socialites<\/a>, broadcasters<\/a>, singers<\/a> and royalty<\/a> are a few examples of members of high-status groups with individuals who have been accused of sexual crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of these high-status people have been found guilty while others have not. As psychologists who study factors that influence juror decision-making, we are interested in the role of “status” on jurors’ perceptions of guilt and credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacob Hoggard, former frontman for the Canadian band Hedley, was recently found guilty<\/a> of raping a woman in a Toronto hotel room in 2016. He was found not guilty<\/a> of groping and raping a teenage fan. Hoggard was sentenced<\/a> to five years in jail and granted bail pending an appeal. He is currently facing a sexual assault charge<\/a> in northern Ontario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sexual assault misperceptions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is a perception that sexual assaults are committed by awkward loners who are unknown to the victim, late at night, when no one else is around. This perception is in stark contrast to the reality, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In both Canada and the United States, approximately 80 per cent of sexual assault occurs between a victim and perpetrator who are known to each other<\/a>. The perpetrator may be a partner, friend, acquaintance, co-worker or even a celebrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, CBC fired radio host Jian Ghomeshi<\/a> after he was accused of sexual assault by multiple women. In a high-profile trial in 2016, Ghomeshi was acquitted of all charges<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sexual assaults are more likely to occur in private spaces such as a home or hotel room<\/a> than in public locations such as dark alleyways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is estimated that only 20 per cent of sexual assaults are reported to police<\/a>. In a related issue, victims may delay reporting for numerous reasons. For example, victims may think that they will not be believed<\/a>, the victim does not want to see themselves as a victim<\/a> or they fear revictimization during the court proceedings<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#MeToo and the changing landscape<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, the hashtag #MeToo prompted victims of sexual misconduct to share their stories, representing a watershed moment in sexual violence. Victims used their voices to gain closure on their experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The #MeToo movement resulted in increased reporting of sexual assault. Specifically, the number of sexual assaults reported to police between 2016 and 2017 rose 13 per cent in Canada<\/a> and 17 per cent in the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allegations of sexual assault have been reported years and decades after the assaults occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American professor Christine Blasey Ford came forward in 2018<\/a> to detail a sexual assault that occurred 36 years earlier, when she was 15 years old. She felt compelled to share her story when her alleged perpetrator, Brett Kavanaugh, was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. Allegations against Kavanaugh have not been tried in court, and he was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n