Canadian True Crime - Jacob Hoggard finally admits the truth

Episode Date: July 6, 2026

After nearly a decade of insisting he did nothing wrong, disgraced Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has finally admitted he was guilty of sexually assaulting the Ottawa woman known as J.B.The admission, at his first parole hearing in June 2026, was only one of several striking comments that reveal the full extent of the former Hedley frontman's years of denial, manipulation and gaslightingIn this special episode, Jessica Baker joins Kristi Lee to unpack the 11‑page Parole Board of Canada decision. She reflects on the weight of Hoggard’s admissions after he forced a years‑long trial and appeals process and subjected her to years of public scrutiny.Hoggard wasn’t required to comment on the other two young women who testified against him, whose allegations did not result in guilty verdicts. But the parole board still chose to recognize them in a deliberate and meaningful way. You'll also hear why the board concluded Hoggard still requires “professional, arm’s‑length supervision” on day parole, why they refused to release him directly to his wife and family, and why his request for full parole was denied.This information is in the public interest.FURTHER READING AND HELPFUL INFO:To read the full parole decision document and for links to other resources mentioned in this episode, visit www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/216 Canadian True Crime donates monthly to help those facing injustice.This month we have donated to Beyond The Verdict.All information sources, credits and music credits:See the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Canadian True Crime, a completely independent project funded mainly through advertising. To listen, add free and early, subscribe to our premium feed on Amazon Music Included with Prime, Apple Podcasts, and Patreon. This podcast often has disturbing content and course language. It's not for everyone. Please take care when listening. Hi there. I hope you're well. A quick heads up that there's one more episode coming before the summer break. I know that summer has already started. That episode, was already recorded and I was on schedule and into the final edits when I received some sudden news that had important implications. So I pivoted and went into victim advocate mode. And despite my intention to keep today's episode as simple and casual as possible, it's turned into a full-scale

production. I think I'm constitutionally unable to do simple. But all that to say, I'll return to finish off that episode after this one. Again, sorry about the wait. In additional content warning. There's brief mention of violent and degrading sexual acts and suicidal ideation. It's not gratuitous. And finally, please don't send any negativity or hate to any individuals mentioned in this episode, including Jacob Hoggard, his wife, his lawyer, or legal team, or his former bandmates. As you'll hear later, our guest today has already received more than her share of hostility, and it's not our goal to match that energy. Thank you. so much for understanding.

I have been called the liar for 10 years. That's J.B., or at least that's what she's referred to in court documents about this case. Many of you will remember her from our Hockey Canada series last year. She wasn't involved in that trial, but she does have a very close connection to it. J.B. has the unfortunate label of being one of Canada's most hot. I profile sexual assault survivors, someone who testified in the country's first Me Too trial. They believed me a little bit more when he was arrested. They believed me a little bit more when went to trial. Even his conviction, there were some people who still didn't believe me, the appeal.

That's why it's so important to me that the first thing that people read is that he admitted that he did it. And I wasn't lying. Canadian true crime covered and analyzed that trial in detail in 2022, but let's quickly get up to speed. In 2016, when J.B. was about 24, she matched with a user on Tinder who identified himself as Blaine, 32 years old. She recognized the person in the photo straight away. Jacob's rise to fame was not a surprise. From Canadian Idol to the helm of Headley, Jacob Hogar catapults the band to national fame with over a million albums sold. Jacob Hoggart, he had the whole country at his feet.

I like the up-close and personal thing. I like that they're close enough. They can touch us, spit on us or near us. Their sound and success are unmistakable. His face was unmistakable too. While J.B. wouldn't have described herself as a fan of the pop rock band Headley, She knew exactly who the lead singer was. He was in Ottawa with the band for a charity event, We Day,

that J.B. happened to be volunteering at, but she wasn't ready to meet him in person just yet. So after two weeks of exchanging flirty messages, Jacob Hogarth offered to pay for her to travel from Ottawa to his hotel in Toronto to meet him for the first time. From their messages, J.B. assumed it would be a fun afternoon of consent. sex. Instead, she survived what a trial judge would later describe as a particularly degrading rape involving gratuitous violence. It lasted for about five hours until Hogarth called J.B. a taxi.

She left the hotel crying uncontrollably. But like many sexual assault survivors, she convinced herself that she was to blame for going to see him in the first place. J.B. tried to make move on with her life, which was very difficult. Hidley was frequently on TV and was one of the most played musical acts on Canadian radio. Jacob Hogan was known to be charismatic and charming. He had a crude sense of humor and an edgy bad boy persona. The camera loved him and he loved the attention, pushing the boundaries as far as he could get away with. There'd been rumors about bad behavior since Jacob Hoggard first rose to fame as a Canadian Idol finalist in 2004, but there was no public reckoning about those rumors until 2018.

At that point, it had been a year and a half since J.B. met Hogarth in that hotel room, and she was watching as the rumors blew up on social media and became national news. That's when she decided it was time. she found the courage to report to police from the documentary Breaking Idol again. On February 12th, 2018, a Twitter user started asking for creepy, headly stories. This 24-year-old Ottawa woman came forward to CDC News

with her story of rape. I was not expecting the backlash online. The band is urging fans not to believe everything they read online. People were more and more protective over Jacob. That's when you start seeing the cult-like behavior. A lot of people were tweeting about me. Once we find out who she is, we should kill her. If she's lying, she should be shot.

I was so anxious and so nervous. That was the end of the band Headley. Jacob Hogarth claimed he was innocent and asked their fans to stand with him. They took to social media to defend their idol and attack the women who, were complaining about him as police charged Jacob Hoggard with sexual assault causing bodily injury in relation to J.B.'s complaint. By the time the trial started in 2022,

Hoggard had also been charged with sexual touching of a minor and sexual assault causing bodily injury in relation to a second younger woman known as M.B. She'd only just turned 16 years old at the time. Hogard was 32. At trial, he repeatedly insisted he did nothing wrong. He admitted that he was into degrading sexual acts and described them as part of his sexual repertoire, but it all would have been mutually consensual, he said. He couldn't actually recall details of either incident. He also wasn't able to describe exactly how J.B. and M.B. communicated there enthusiastic consent, but he insisted they would have. He was just that kind of guy. The defense case was this. Both young women willingly participated, but afterwards they felt rejected by him

and lied about what happened to get revenge and take him down. The trial became a circus of scrutiny, humiliation and retraumatization of both young women. 37-year-old Jacob Hogard was found guilty in relation to J.B.'s complaint, but not guilty in relation to the younger woman, M.B. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but he immediately launched an appeal of the guilty verdict, protesting his innocence. He was allowed to remain out on bail pending that appeal.

But when it was dismissed, Jacob Hoggard had to surrender into custody. J.B. could finally breathe a sigh of relief. But he did not go quietly. He immediately applied to the Supreme Court of Canada and requested a bail extension pending that. This time, his request was denied. After a few weeks in custody, Hoggard reportedly claimed he'd been placed in solitary confinement after, quote, concerns about my safety resulting for my career as a well-known singer and the media publicity my case has attracted. The Crown Prosecutor clarified to the media that protective custody was entirely voluntary. Hoggard had requested it himself, and he could go back into Genpop whenever he wanted to.

Meanwhile, a second sexual assault trial was looming involving a third young woman. This podcast hasn't covered that second trial yet, but Hogarth was found not guilty, and he abandoned his Supreme Court appeal from the first trial. His legal options exhausted, he had to settle in to serve his prison sentence. Since then, J.B. has been busy, reclaiming her identity, her story and her power. Last year, she was shadowed by a film crew as she caught another train from Toronto, to Ottawa, this time to have her publication band removed and record with me for the CBC documentary Breaking Idol, directed by Tiffany Shung.

For the past seven years, I've been referred to as J.B., Emma, the Ottawa woman, a liar. Today, are you ready to tell us who you really are? What is your actual name? Yes, my name is Jessica Baker. No more, J.B. As Jacob Hoggard continued to protest his innocence, Jessica Baker got into victim advocacy. Last year, she co-founded Beyond the Verdict.C.A., an advocacy group to challenge aggressive defense tactics and misinformation at sexual assault trials. She started speaking at public events to support other survivors, something that she says has been a healing and cathartic experience. That was.

until a sudden update a few weeks ago. Disgraced Headley frontman, or former frontman, I should say Jacob Hoggard has been granted day parole for six months. The Parole Board of Canada found that Hogarth does not present an undue risk to society in its decision release. That's CP24's breakfast anchor Jennifer Schong, sister of film director Tiffany, talented family. As the Toronto son put it, Jacob Hogarth won day parole. And that's technically true.

But what actually went down at that parole hearing in early June is a much more complicated and much more revealing story. It's about why Hogarth's request for full parole was denied. It's about why the Parole Board of Canada would not release him directly back to his wife, son and parents, why they concluded he still needed professional arm's length supervision. It's also about what Jacob Hoggard finally admitted at that parole hearing and what he was asked to acknowledge about his behavior.

In the pieces that journalists have pulled from the decision so far, the headline is the parole board doesn't find Jacob Hoggard a danger to society and now he's out on day parole. In actuality, there's so much in that document that I wish people could see. And that's what we're doing here. here today. This decision centres Jessica Baker, but it also speaks to the two other young women who testified against Jacob Hoggard, whose allegations did not lead to guilty verdicts. These are parts of the decision that cannot be buried under a simple headline about winning day

parole. Jessica Baker would have wanted to be at that parole hearing, but she was not. She didn't even know about it until the day of. So the first time I heard about the parole hearing was through a journalist with the Toronto Star Rajumata. He sent me an email and asked me to comment on today's parole hearing. And this was the very first time that you heard anything about that. How did you feel receiving that email? It's hard to describe any of the feelings really like throughout the entire process because it's not normal and It's not something I've ever felt in any other, like, part of my life. But I just instantly cried. And I was at work when I read it.

So that wasn't ideal. And it was the beginning of the day. And I had a lot to do that day. So I had to stay. I just shut my office door. And then I had to go on with my day. And then I was angry. I called my dad and I just told him about it.

Because I was so surprised that no one contacted me, considering I'm like, the victim in the crime. This isn't the first time we've seen this happen. A recent example from 2003, the families of Leslie Mahaffey and Kristen French learned from the media that Paul Bernardo had been transferred to a medium security institution. After public backlash, Correctional Services Canada publicly apologized and acknowledged there were severe gaps in their victim notification process. But that wasn't the problem in this case.

We soon learned that victims have to proactively register themselves to receive federal offender notifications. Privacy laws prevent courts from sharing victims' personal information with other parts of the justice system without their consent, and also not every victim wants ongoing updates about the offender. Jessica did not know that. She assumed it would be automatic. No one taught me that you're supposed to sign up to be a victim of crime.

I thought it was just assumed that I would receive updates about parole hearings or upcoming parole hearings, release, especially. I had no idea, and had I had known, I obviously would have signed up. I would like to know. Hearing things like that from total strangers is very jarring. when you're not expecting it. Nothing against the Toronto Star Reporter who reached out to Jessica

through our advocacy group, of course. Still, it's difficult news to hear out of the blue. Anytime that anything comes up about the trial, it just takes me back to a very lonely place and a very dark place. And just knowing that I knew there was going to be a decision and he was going to speak and I was going to have to read the words that he said.

And I assumed that he would tell some lies and say some things that would make me upset. And it, like, it reminded me, it took me back to, like, waiting for the jury to come back. It's the same type of feeling. Just, like, constant anxiety and you're, like, in fight or flight, so your body's just, like, stiff. There was nothing that Jessica could do but wait until the Parole Board of Canada returned with its decision. It was a familiar place for her. another agonizing weight, another official process, another decision that involves her, unfolding somewhere out of reach.

Less than two weeks later, Jessica received a courtesy follow-up email from Raju Mutar from the Toronto Star with the news that the parole board had granted Jacob Hogarth day parole for six months at a halfway house. Jessica was crushed. I needed more information. I'm not sure if many people know that any Canadian can request a Parole Board of Canada decision. It's part of our criminal justice system's open court principle. The primary factor the Parole Board considers when making decisions is risk to public safety.

So we, the public, have a right to know how that decision was made. It's as simple as filling in a form online and emailing it off. Just a couple of hours later, I received a response, shout out to the helpful staff at the Parole Board of Canada's Ontario Regional Office. They affirmed that timely information given to victims can be an important part of helping them feel informed and supported. And they provided some helpful information for Jessica about the process for receiving future updates. And attached to that email was the Parole Board's full written. decision, 11 pages that included new revelations about where Jacob Hogarth is today. Some extremely validating for Jessica.

So in the space of less than two weeks, you were alerted to the hearing and then reading he got day parole from those early news reports and then receiving that full written decision, which really added colour to the whole thing and put it in context. I imagine that it must have been some kind of emotional, It's funny. It's like every day I felt different about it, like I'm grieving something. The first day I was really sad. And then yesterday, I felt relieved after I read the full decision. And then today I'm just angry. That could also be the lack of sleep. Yeah. If someone reads like the entire parole document, it's very satisfying for me. They're saying things that I was never allowed to say, that the Crown attorneys weren't allowed to say, the judges weren't allowed to say. And it's very blunt, and it's directly to him and holds him accountable. That's coming up after the break. All proceeds from this episode are being donated to beyondtheverdict.ca.

So a reminder of the timeline, Jessica's assault happened in 2016. She reported it in 2018. Jacob Hogarth's first trial was in 2022. And by the time he started his prison sentence, it was August of 2024. And here in Canada, incarcerated people who aren't serving life sentences are normally eligible to apply for full parole

after they've served a third of their sentence. I was expecting it. I obviously know that he was going to get out of jail someday. I knew he wasn't going to live there. But I don't know, nothing really prepares you for it. Well, five years didn't seem like that long already, and the actual court process took longer than that. I was told by multiple, like, crown attorneys and lawyers

that five years was a very long sentence for his crime. I was told that I should pretty much be happy with what I got. Yeah. I mean, from the court document, we could see, you know, the judge explained all of the precedents that she used to determine his sentence. But that is our criminal justice system, isn't it? Like even if you get a guilty verdict, it just never ends for victims and survivors. I had no idea.

I was 24 when it happened and now I'm 33. And I've lost a very large chunk of my adult life to this. Let's start with perhaps the most important thing for Jessica, given she wasn't at the hearing to represent herself. Her account of what happened in that hotel room and what led to Jacob Hogarth's conviction for sexual assault causing bodily injury was horrific, disgusting and extremely disturbing. We covered it in detail in our original podcast series covering the case. The parole board summarised the assault, addressing Hogard directly. Quote, When the victim arrived at your hotel, you began sexually assaulting her despite her.

protests, expressions that you were causing her pain, and her statements that she did not consent to your aggressive behavior. Notwithstanding her lack of consent, you proceeded to engage in various forms of aggressive, degrading, violent, and unprotected sexual acts. The victim sustained injury through your physical violence, and she later said that at times she feared for her life due to your aggressive behaviour. Buried, in the parole board's written decision, was something that surprised Jessica and me. It addresses Hogard directly,

quote, You maintained your innocence even after your appeal was dismissed in 2024. At prison intake, you only admitted that you behaved aggressively, but denied behaving violently or in a degrading manner, and denied that the victim, asked you to stop. After completing correctional programming, you admitted that you did not have the victim's consent.

According to the written decision, Hoggard admitted to the parole board that when the allegations first surfaced and went public in 2018, he knew that what he had done was wrong. But he denied it and continued to deny it because he was embarrassed and afraid. He said he selfishly used that denial to protect himself and let it get out of control without being brave and strong enough to confront the truth. When I read that, I just, like, I lost it. I was so emotional. I was mad.

I was happy that he's at least saying something. And then I was obviously just so sad that it took 10 years for him to take any accountability. But, I mean, I'm going to take this as a win. We haven't had many. It's worth noting that during all those years of denial, Jacob Hogarth stood by as his fans mercilessly attacked Jessica and the other young women online and attempted to docks them.

His wife, Vancouver-based actor, singer and dancer Rebecca Asosteen, contributed to the public hostility through her public support of him. Hoggard allowed Jessica to be villainized from multiple angles, knowing the entire time that she wasn't lying and that he was guilty. But for Jessica, the worst was what she endured from the legal team Hogard hired to defend him, Savard's LLP, led by Megan Savard. The lawyer's arguments used every discredited rape myth and stereotype in the book to try and persuade the jury that Jessica was lying about everything.

It wasn't rape, the lawyer told Jessica. You just felt rejected by him because he injured you in the course of consensual sex. You thought he was being inconsiderate not to check in with you, and it added to the hurt feelings you had as a result of having been essentially dropped by this rock star. End quote. In other words, Jessica went through all of this, the police reports, the humiliation, the pretrial hearings, the financial costs and the public scrutiny for years,

just because she wanted revenge for hurt feelings. And we do expect this framing from wealthy and famous men accused of sexual assault, but Jacob Hogarth's legal team went further than simply challenging Jessica's evidence. They arrived at trial with a series of pre-planned tactics to try and overwhelm her, break her down in the witness box, and reveal her to be the liar that Jacob Hoggard insisted she was. This is exactly the kind of courtroom ambush that rapes shield laws exist to prevent. One of those laws are supposed to prevent sexual assault complainants from having intimate private records, unfairly sprung on them in court and used to humiliate them in front of a jury.

Jessica Baker did not know it, but Jacob Hogarth had one such private record that he'd been saving. Back to 2016 in the hours after Jessica left the hotel room crying uncontrollably, she received a text from Jacob Hogarth saying he had a wonderful time and wanted to see her again. Jessica was confused and disgusted, but like many survivors, she blamed herself for what happened. She didn't reply to his message at first, but once she arrived home in Ottawa and confided in her roommate and friends, they encouraged her to message him back. So she told him plainly, you raped me. She said she wanted an apology. Hoganard denied it. He insisted it had been consensual. He had had an incredible time and he was sorry that she felt that way. Jessica informed him that he bruised her

and made her bleed for days. That's when he took deliberate action, unbeknownst to him. That's when he took deliberate action, to Jessica. After speaking with his lawyer, he went into his recording studio, pressed record, and called her, telling her that she sounded upset in those messages, and that was confusing to him, because he really thought they had a nice, chill time together. He told her that based on the messages they'd exchanged before they met, he thought they were entering a very agreeable situation. She told him he sounded scripted or coached, as if he'd spoken to a lawyer and was trying to save himself. That is, of course, exactly what was happening. Hogard appeared to be saying that he took their flirty messages as advance consent for what happened in that hotel room, a blank check, if you will.

But legally, consent doesn't work that way. It can't be given in advance. It has to be in the moment and ongoing. specific to each sexual act, and it can be withdrawn at any time. Jessica told him that she did try to say no, but every time he pushed her to the point where it became painful. Hogard responded by denying that happened. Classic gaslighting.

He insisted that he'd paid close attention to how she felt that day. Before they hung up, Jessica told him, I guess I have a different opinion to you. He blocked her number. She had no idea that this phone call was being recorded, and in the flurry of her traumatic response, she completely forgot about it. So if the rapial laws were respected,

Jacob Hogarth's lawyer would have introduced that phone call recording in a special hearing before the trial, and had the judge given the green light, it would have given Jessica notice to be able to prepare for that moment at trial, but Jacob Hoga's defence team did not do this. As the judge described it, lawyer Megan Savard thought she was above the law and chose to do exactly what the legislation was trying to prevent. She waited until cross-examination to ambush Jessica with this phone recording,

arguing that it wasn't a private record because Jess had no reason expectation of privacy when she answered Hogarth's phone call. Therefore, it did not fall under the rape shield law. The judge disagreed, outraged at the defense lawyer's attempt to sidestep the legislation. But by that point, the trial was well underway. The judge said she felt backed into a corner and allowed the recording. So Jessica Baker had to sit in the witness box with the jury watching, as the court played a phone call from six years earlier that she'd forgotten about. She was described by multiple reporters as being visibly distressed, shaking and weeping as she listened. Hogarth's defense lawyer told the jury that the only reason Jessica was so emotional

was because she'd been caught in a lie. Not because of anything she said to Hogart in the phone call, but because she didn't mention the call itself in her testimony. I have to admit that to me as a layperson, it certainly appears that the defence lawyer's blatant attempt to bypass a rap shield law was, in effect, rewarded by the court. I'm sure the judge's decision to allow it had more to do with the potential for a mistrial or a later appeal. But for Jessica, it was a crushing blow to see all of that,

play out, then be subjected to something that rape shield laws exist to protect her from. Her state of mind was simply collateral damage. So it's important to note that in their written decision, the Parole Board of Canada summarised that phone call, again addressing Hogard directly. Quote, You spoke with the victim by telephone attempting to gaslight her by minimizing the impact of your behavior and suggesting that you had a wonderful time together and that it was chill. The victim, on the other hand, was bleeding, bruised, sore and thought she needed stitches. She eventually sought medical attention.

I imagine that that must feel pretty validating to you. It's important to me that they even pointed that out. Like I've said many times, like that phone call was the cruelest thing that anyone has ever done to me. the way that played out in court. So I'm glad that they're pointing out the fact that, no, I didn't lie. He manufactured evidence and he admitted that he did. The phone call was just one of several controversial defense tactics. We analyzed them in detail in our original podcast series covering the first trial of Jacob Hoggard, but here's a quick summary. In early 2018, when Jessica first first

came forward to report the assault. She gave an interview to reporter Judy Trin for CBC News, her identity disguised as a silhouette. At trial, Jacob Hoggard's defense lawyer confronted Jessica with two clips from the CBC, both showing a woman in black silhouette, recounting details of an alleged incident of sexual misconduct by Jacob Hoggard. The defense pointed out that the details given in one of those clips did not match Jessica's earlier testimony and repeatedly pushed her to admit she lied to the jury. Jessica protested. She couldn't remember saying those things at all, and she was right. The clip that supposedly contradicted her testimony was of a different woman who was not part of the trial at all. But defense lawyer Megan Savard would not let it go.

to the point where Jessica broke down in the witness box and accepted she must have been mistaken. CBC reporter Judy Trin was in the courtroom and alerted the judge to the mistake, but by that point the damage was done. That clip should never have been part of the defense's trial materials, and whether that was the result of carelessness or some kind of strategy, it was an egregious mistake. Jessica spoke about her reaction to this tactic in our series about the Hockey Canada trial last year. Her perspective and that was relevant because Jacob Hogarth's lawyer, Savard,

was by that point defending Carter Hart, one of the five accused at that trial. I hate to single someone out, but, you know, but I'm going to be honest, she was so horrible to me. I don't care. after they played the phone call in court. And I had, like, I meltdown, like, I've never experienced before. I could heard these speak. I couldn't even breathe. And then the next day, we were in court.

And she asked me a question about the phone call. And I said, I don't remember what she was asking. And she, like, looked at me and she was like, do you want me to play it again with the biggest smile on her face? And I just, like, melted into the chair at that point. I couldn't even speak. I would have, anything she would have said to me, I would have just agreed with at that point because I couldn't take it anymore. There's multiple times she laughed at me.

It's a tactic. I think it's something that they do. They want to break you down to the point where you will accept everything that they say. So in my opinion, it's a cruel torture. After those two dramatic moments at Jacob Hogarth's first trial, the defense attempted to bypass yet another rape shield law. This time it was shut down by the judge, but these tactics disrupted the trial, made national headlines, and re-victimized Jessica Baker, humiliated her, reduced her to a sobbing wreck.

She describes the cross-examination as one of the most traumatizing experiences of her life, including the actual assault. Here's how Jessica explained it in our conversation about the Hockey Canada trial last year. when I testified the day that they brought the phone call out, and then they played the video that they told me was me and it wasn't me. I went upstairs. None of us said a word, and I started crying. And they were like, okay, we'll see you tomorrow.

One of my crowns. And all I was thinking in the back of my head was, you will not see me tomorrow. I'm going to find some way to commit suicide. Because I can't do this another day. And I was dead set on it. And I went back to my hotel room and all I kept thinking was like, I will feel so much better if I'm no longer alive and I don't have to do this tomorrow.

I genuinely thought that I would not have to suffer anymore and that it would be better for me. That's the type of impact it has on you. So if I didn't have the support system that I have, I would not be alive. And I would have thought that I was better for it because of the way that I was treated in that courtroom. Every accused person is entitled to a robust defense. That's fundamental to how our justice system works. But a defense lawyer's obligation to their client doesn't justify re-victimizing a sexual assault complainant, dehumanizing them, and turning cross-examination into a humiliating second trauma. Sexual assault is a uniquely intimate crime. The survivor's body is the primary crime.

seen, and there's often no trial unless the survivor testifies, and they are completely isolated and vulnerable at trial. The defense counsel represents the accused, who has the right to silence. The Crown Prosecutor represents the state and the public interest. There is no one to represent the interests of a sexual assault complainant. They are just witnesses, after all, they do not have the right to silence like the accused does. Even if they hire their own lawyer, which many do, that lawyer can only offer advice from behind the scenes. There is no place at trial for them. That's why rap shield laws exist. They're literally the only thing in place to protect a vulnerable sexual assault complainant. She destroyed me and I wish that more defense attorneys could understand that

what you're doing to these people will ruin their entire lives. And that's the trial shaped everything for me. All of my friends are married, they are having kids. This is what I did. This is my baby was going to court and now trying to survive the trial. The justice system is capable of safeguarding both the accused right to a fair trial and the complainant's dignity. An effective defense lawyer should be able to challenge testimony without resorting to finding loopholes in rapeshield laws.

Yet they continue to be rewarded for it. After the trial, Jessica Baker needed to begin intensive therapy again. Jacob Hogarth's lawyer leveraged her controversial performance to attract more high-profile male clients, like fashion mogul Peter Nygaard, who was convicted, and Carter Hart at the Hockey Canada trial last year. After being found not guilty, he was recruited to the Vegas Golden Knights as their goalie. At Jacob Hogarth's recent parole hearing, the board effectively put all of this to him, the consequences of the denial he maintained for almost a decade, and asked him to respond. quoting from the written decision.

You acknowledged the violence of re-victimization and putting the victim through a trial. It's so important that they said that the trial itself was violent because it was. And I know that they can't use that during sentencing. Like the trial can't be used against you as a sentencing factor. But I'm glad it's being acknowledged. It's huge.

you start gaslighting yourself and like over the years I'm like was it really that bad am I like am I thinking of it differently um was I just being dramatic um but no it really it was violent and I'm glad that at least he semi acknowledges the fact that he put me through a trial because without his behavior there wouldn't have been a trial so now that hogard has admitted what he did and he's acknowledged that putting you through a violent trial was another form of harm. How does that make you feel about the way his lawyer treated you during cross-examination? It honestly makes me more angry because he knew what he was doing and he knew it was cruel.

And for him to be able to sit there and look at me while I'm on the stand for multiple days, playing the phone call that he recorded to use as evidence in this trial, It just, there's so much validation behind all of this, but at the same time it makes me sick to think that he was sitting there watching me suffer, and I suffered tremendously. Even though Jessica was not at that parole hearing, the board made sure her perspective was represented. They pointed out that Jacob Hoggard exploited his position of power as a celebrity and their rage difference, the fact that she was in her early 20s and he was in his early 30s, which

enhanced that power dynamic. The parole board referred to Jessica's victim impact statement at Hogard's sentencing, where she described profound and ongoing psychological harm as a result of his offending against her, which included re-victimizing her during the court process. The board pointed out that the harm of his offending was against her. exacerbated by its quote, particularly violent and degrading nature and a high level of manipulation that suggested planning and deliberation. To me, that's quite striking because it really does seem like he planned everything to the nth degree with you and the other victim complainants, especially MB. Like he paid for transportation to his hotel room, you know, you on the train and he sent a limousine

to MB. And it was very transactional is the way I'll put it. It seemed like something that he does often, the way that he just moves on to, okay, I had a really nice time with you. Bye. And I thought you had a nice time too.

Not exactly. He admitted he lied multiple times. He sent you and the others romantic type messages when all he wanted was a one night stand. And then when he was finished, he even lied to get you to leave the hotel room. So it's interesting to see the board call him out for manipulation, planning, and deliberation.

Yeah. It's very validating because these are things that obviously like I thought and I wish people could say to him. And all I can think of is how awful it would be for someone to say these things to your face. And I really love that for him. But I just like, this is blunt. This is to the point. and they're not mincing words. I appreciate it. The Parole Board of Canada's primary role in making parole decisions is to assess the risk to public safety. So with that in mind,

Jacob Hogarth was asked to reflect on his offending behavior and share any insights he might have gained about why he acted that way and how he might have changed since. In summary, Hoggard told the board that because he felt insecure as a teenager, he enjoyed the attention he received when he became an overnight celebrity at age 19. He admitted he used sex as a coping mechanism that women became objects to brag about. The sex became about his needs and preferences, and it was transactional in nature.

He pointed to mentors and managers who were a toxic influence on him. He had previously reported having over 200 sexual partners, but at this parole hearing he also revealed he used sex workers as well. He acknowledged he'd been unfaithful in all his relationships, including with his first wife and his current wife. Just for the record, Jacob Hogard confirmed at the first trial that his sexual preferences included spitting, urinating, and derogatory name-calling using words like slut and whore.

Jessica M.B. and the young woman who testified at the second trial at Kirkland Lake, each described incidents involving these sexual acts, along with unprotected, oral, vaginal, and anal sex, and that they were slapped by Jacob Hoggard. In his testimony, he called it love-tapping, describing it as a gentle slap in the face of his sexual partner. He also confirmed he had not been wearing a condom, in any of the incidents. The parole board asked him about the highly degrading and violent nature of his offending. It appears he didn't understand the question, because according to the written decision, he answered it by explaining his enjoyment of degrading sexual behavior was about the

mutuality of it. He added that with two consenting adults, there is no limitation. The parole board pointed out that this was clearly not the case. in his assault of Jessica. These are the parts where I, like, gasped when I was reading this stuff. I appreciate how the board pointed out that, okay, you've had over 200 sexual partners and you didn't know what consent was. So you're telling us that all 199 of those were above board and you had consent

and you didn't do anything wrong. That's pretty hard to believe. Jacob Hogan claimed he no longer had these degrading and violent sexual interests. He no longer objectifies women and no longer feels the same sense of entitlement towards them. The board concluded that he showed some insight into his behaviour, although that remains untested, but he offered little insight into his risk factors. After admitting that he did not have Jessica's consent and that he knew what he'd done was wrong, he also told the parole board that back then he had no understanding of consent

and didn't even think about consent before his sexual encounters. He claimed that his lack of understanding was one of the factors that led to his assault against Jessica, But Jacob Hogan denied ever engaging in any non-consensual acts apart from that one time. And this is where things get interesting again, because Jessica wasn't the only young woman he was charged with sexually assaulting. She was just the only one whose allegations resulted in a guilty verdict. The other two young women who testified against him at his first trial in Toronto and second trial in curtail. Lake, didn't get to participate in a sentencing hearing. They didn't get to read a victim impact statement. In fact, they legally can't be referred to as victims in this case. Once those not-guilty

verdicts came in, they were effectively discarded by a criminal justice system that has no further role for them. So the parole board did something remarkable. They brought these two young women back into the story, explaining it was not to determine criminal liability, but to help inform their parole decision, because in assessing the risk to public safety, the parole board can consider charges that did not lead to convictions. The board compared the police reports given by these two women to Jessica's account given at trial and found the following. They all happened the same year, 2016. They involved young women impressed by Hogarth's celebrity status, who both alleged he behaved in a way that was consistent with what Jessica reported and was also allegedly without consent.

The parole board specifically referred to M.B., the younger woman who testified at the first trial with Jessica. At the time, Hogar's defense team acknowledged that the behavior he admitted to amounted to grooming and potentially luring and possession of child pornography. He hadn't been charged with these offences, though, in relation to M.B. He'd been charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and sexual interference or touching of a person under 16. The defense argued that the words grooming, luring and child pornography should be banned from the trial because they could taint the jury against Hoggard. And they were banned. No one at the trial was allowed to say those words, and the jury found him not guilty in relation to M.B. In the written decision, the parole board again

addressed Hogard directly, as they summarised what happened with M.B. Quote, You have said that you communicated with a 15-year-old female and lied to her with a view of manipulating her into having sex with you. You groomed her over an extended time. You also sent her a video of yourself masturbating and received nude photos of her. She reported that you touched her sexually at age 15 and that soon after turning 16, you lured her to your hotel room and raped her. Jess, you've mentioned before that you have immense survivor's guilt from that first trial because you got the guilty verdict and M.B. didn't. And just to restate, the parole board cannot and does not determine criminal liability.

But just the fact that they acknowledged MB's complaint and considered it as part of the parole decision is something. How did that make you feel to read? Other than him admitting guilt, that was the most shocking part of the entire document. I still don't understand the verdict at all because even like the age difference, even if she was the age of consent, her being 16 and him being 32 is just sickening.

I still feel really guilty, especially for the other women in my trial. M.B., all I was thinking was, I hope she sees this. And she knows that there are so many people that believe her, and I would say most people do. and he's being held accountable for that as well, for what he did to her in a way. The parole board pointed out that given Jacob Hogan's admission, he had no understanding of consent,

combined with the numerous sexual encounters he had, the way he viewed women as objects and his interest in degrading sexual behavior, they had difficulty seeing how his offense against Jessica Baker was the only time he crossed a boundary. The parole board could not ignore the similarities. They found that Hogarth's offending against Jessica, quote, "...appears to have been a pattern of manipulation, predation and sexual violence. This is once again pretty striking for a few reasons.

At the second trial in Kirkland Lake, the Crown prosecutor planned to present evidence that spoke to that pattern. It's what they call similar fact evidence. Jessica was prepared to testify as a similar fact witness to help the jury assess whether the new allegation fits the same pattern. But she was not allowed to testify. The reason why is because the Kirkland Lake complainant, the other young woman, read the CBC News article

about Hogarth's offence against Jessica before she reported her own allegation to the police. That article is what prompted her, but Hogarth's defense team argued that she could have appropriated the details she read about Jessica's assault in her own police report. Jessica has thoughts about all of this in light of the parole hearing and the written decision.

I know it's supposed to be directed at the charge that he's in prison for, but I was very happy to see that they brought up his behavior and similar fact evidence that was presented in trial. After reading that decision, actually, what I was thinking was, if they would have let me testify at the Kirkland Lake trial, I think things would be very different. And it's interesting that the parole board can discuss pattern of behavior and things like that you weren't even convicted of. but the courts won't let an actual victim speak, especially when there's a pattern. It's so frustrating. That frustration is built into our criminal justice system.

For decades, the Supreme Court of Canada has said the same thing over and over. Rape myths and stereotypes have no place in sexual assault trials. Proven false reports of sexual assault are no higher than any other. any other crime, and the idea that a real or perfect victim behaves a certain way does not help find the truth. It distorts it. It feeds the belief that women are less credible, less trustworthy, and less worthy of protection. And yet, rapements are still baked into the way these trials unfold. The rape shield laws designed to shield complainants from humiliation and character assassination are just obstacles for a ruthless defense lawyer to overcome, and victim

complainants are just targets to break down in the witness box in the name of a vigorous defense. Jessica has said many times that if she'd known just how soul-destroying her journey through the justice system would be, she wouldn't have reported at all. Why would anybody, if the best possible outcome they could hope for, is to survive a process. that humiliates and punishes them for speaking up, a process that leaves them isolated, disbelieved, financially drained, publicly attacked and re-victimized, a process that harms them just as much, if not more, than the actual offender did. With each new headline about what victim complainants are subjected to at sexual assault

trials, the scales are tipping. It's becoming not worth it to seek justice. It's feeling safer to just deal with the trauma yourself and move on. And that is a big problem for us all. So now we get to the part of the decision that explains why Jacob Hogarth's request for full parole was denied. Why the parole board did not trust his release plan, why they refused to send him home to his wife and family, and why they concluded he still needs professional arm's length supervision.

It's about what the board called his fiction of innocence, how that fictional narrative shaped the board's assessment of his risk to public safety, and also the extra special conditions they attached to his day parole. And for Jessica Baker, what did it mean for her to live under Jacob Hoggard's fiction of innocence for all those years, while his family, friends and fans defended his lies and amplified and weaponised them against her. Will they face the fact that Hogard has admitted she was telling the truth? That's all coming up after the break.

The reason the Parole Board of Canada denied Jacob Hogarth's request for full parole is about his years of lies and manipulation, the fact that he continued to insist he was innocent for years, including after his appeal was dismissed in August of 2004. The parole board noted that when Hogard finally surrendered into custody, he would only admit to behaving aggressively with Jessica. He still denied that he behaved violently or in a degrading manner and still denied that she asked him to stop. He continued to insist that Jessica was lying to take him down when he was the one lying all along. And he maintained that false narrative not only publicly, but with the people closest to him, his own wife and family. The board told him,

quote, You said that you grew very comfortable with lying to them. You were maintaining the fiction of your innocence throughout this time and you continued misleading them even after your appeal was dismissed. The parole board noted Jacob Hogarth's progress during his first 18 months or so in custody. He earned his high school diploma and completed vocational courses. He has effectively been well-behaved in prison. He took two drug tests and passed them and was already reclassified as a minimum security offender. He completed two correctional programming courses during this time, the sex offender primer program,

followed by the sex offender moderate intensity program. The parole board noted that he engaged positively in both programs and identified his main risk factors, poor emotions management, ineffective problem solving, unhealthy intimate relationships, justification of aggression and violence, risky sexual behavior, problematic sexual interests, and sexual preoccupation. According to the written decision, it's only after taking those sex offender correctional programs

that Jacob Hogard finally admitted he did not have Jessica Baker's consent, and he knew it all along, but continued to selfishly maintain his denial to protect himself. He acknowledged that it was only recently that he finally admitted to his own wife, his mother, and the rest of his family, that he was guilty. All of this was relevant because he requested release on full parole, where he would live with his wife, son and parents. The parole board concluded, quote, Though your wife and family remain supportive,

you have shown your willingness and ability to deceive them for years, such that the board believes you require professional arms-length supervision. Any gains you may have made while serving your sentence should first be tested in a gradual and structured manner before a more liberal form of release. While Hogarth has made progress, it wasn't enough for full parole. The board found his risk to public safety could be managed on day parole, but only under very specific conditions.

and they explained why. He can't have direct or indirect contact with Jessica or any member of her family. This is to protect her from further trauma after he already caused her serious harm. His relationships with women, sexual or non-sexual, need to be reported and closely monitored for their protection because of his, quote, history of promiscuity, the fact that he committed a high degree of sexual violence against a

female and acted in a predatory manner. Hoggard is not allowed to be in the presence of sex workers for their protection, because they're often vulnerable and because of his demonstrated potential for committing a high degree of violence. He's also not allowed to be in the presence of any female children under the age of 18. He cannot communicate directly or indirectly with them, and he's not allowed to own or have more than one cell phone or SIM card without prior written approval. Quoting from the written decision, You exploited a position of power with younger females.

Your contact with underage female should be supervised, as should your use of telecommunications devices to monitor compliance with your conditions of release and as such mitigate your risk. The board also requires him to follow any treatment plan or program arranged by his parole supervisor in the areas of problematic sexual interests and behaviors, personal and emotional deficits, and reintegration stresses. Because the parole board concluded, he showed limited insight into his problematic sexual interests. Everything that they had determined is validating, true.

And this, like, to me, this decision and the hearing that they, had that was two hours is essentially they had like a mirror being held in front of them and saying this is what you are and you are what you did and now you have to live with that but what about everything Jessica baker had to live with all those years while Jacob Hoggard maintained his denial of guilt his fans lashed out at her and the other young women branding them liars sluts and groupies who got rejected by a rock star and was trying to take him down. Jessica was sent a public Facebook post with an image of her sexual assault medical report and an accompanying post scrutinizing it, written by a person who identified himself as the father of one of Hogarth's bandmates from

Headley. Hoggard himself stood by and allowed his wife Rebecca Asolstein to behave in an overtly hostile way towards the young women who complained about him in social posts that Jessica was alerted to. In several moments during the first trial, Rebecca's dramatic reactions attracted attention because they were perceived to be aggressive towards Jessica and M.B., to the point where the judge had words with her about it. I mean, I've had a hard time because of the way his wife treated me, feeling sorry for her. But after reading this, it's pretty apparent to me

that he was gaslighting her for years and that he had her brainwashed into thinking that what he was saying was true. I mean, I still have a hard time forgiving her as well. Jessica has also faced hostility from people who seem to be affiliated with Jacob Hogard and his wife. One woman in particular,

who, from her social media post, posts appears to be a close family friend, has harassed Jessica online for several years now on multiple platforms. I've seen the comments myself. After the documentary Breaking Idol was released late last year, this person posted comments under the news articles about the documentary, that Jessica was essentially trying to trick everyone. Yeah, she was basically saying that in the documentary I wasn't presenting as myself because I wear a lot of makeup and wear a push-up bra or something like that. And, okay, maybe when I was 21.

I'm 33 years old. Yeah, I remember she accused you of trying to make yourself seem homely in the documentary because you were dressed in comfy clothes and no makeup, sitting on your couch, talking about your sexual assault. Yeah. And she was like, and that is not who she is. is as a person. I've never met this woman. I don't know who she is. It was almost like they were trying to intimidate me in a way. But that's also based on his manipulation. And when he's going

home and telling like his whole family, wow, this this bitch ruined my life, she's a liar, saying horrible things about me probably. But eventually you believe it. That's what an abusive relationship is. Then of course, there's the violence of re-victimization in putting Jessica through that trial, which Hogard acknowledged, that he hired a defense lawyer to attack her credibility and break her down in the witness box, knowing all along that she was telling the truth. And I've, like, been carrying the burden of being called a liar for a decade now, and this is, like, the last piece of the puzzle. It was, like, a scale, like, they believed me a little bit more when he was arrested, they believed me a little bit more when went to trial. Even his conviction,

there were some people who still didn't believe me. the appeal and now this is like this is I don't know I don't know if I want to say the end but this is the this is all I ever wanted from the beginning aside of course from the obvious that the assault

never happened at all after my conversation with Jessica I decided to post the full parole decision in the last remaining headly fan Facebook group the stragglers of what used to be a fairly large fan base they're still posting things like justice for Jake. I told them I came in peace with information straight

from the parole board that Jacob Hoggard finally admitted he was guilty, that he knew he didn't have Jessica's consent and he lied about it, and that Jessica wasn't lying. I wanted them to understand that they can still have memories attached to the music, that it's okay for those songs to still mean something to them, but they can't keep disparaging Jessica and the other young women who complained, when Jacob Hoggard has now admitted he was lying all along. Within hours, several fans had floated the theory that Hoggard only told the parole board he was guilty because he wanted to see his child and get back to his life sooner. The mental gymnastics stunned even me. Jacob Hoggard was eligible, to apply for parole after serving one-third of his five-year sentence.

He's made progress and he's been well-behaved. He didn't need to admit he was guilty. But instead of accepting that, his fans would rather believe he falsely confessed to being a rapist to try and get out of custody a few months earlier. According to media reports, at the end of the parole hearing, Jacob Hogarth told the board,

quote, I just want to use this as an opportunity to say I'm sorry for the harm I've caused. It's not lost on me that this is something I can't take back. For that alone, I understand that even though that's going to be difficult for me my whole life, it pales as a comparison to what I've taken away from somebody that doesn't deserve it. His acknowledgement of what he did is the most important part of this entire document for me. I said multiple times in court because I didn't want to go through any of this. All I wanted was an apology and I wanted him to admit what he did. That's all I wanted and it took him 10 years. I still don't know how I feel about that. His admission of guilt and his apology is important,

but it has to be noted that Jacob Hogart has never apologized to Jessica. Imagine what accountability could look like if it were directed to those who were harmed. not just the parole board. Imagine what it might mean for the good of society if he publicly apologized to Jessica, apologized for sexually assaulting her in a brutally degrading and violent way, apologized for lying and gas-liding her

while accusing her of lying, for manufacturing evidence against her, for the hostility his wife, family, friends and fans showed her as a result of his lies. Jessica also deserves an apology for the way his legal team re-victimized and re-traumatized her at trial and for all the financial losses she suffered or the unpaid time off work

having to hire a lawyer to represent her interests at trial for years of therapy bills and medication she needed so she could continue working and supporting herself and for all the appeals that kept her in fight or flight mode. Jessica Baker has registered as a victim now and she will be notified of Jacob Hogarth's next parole hearing. She will be there to represent herself and hold space for the other women who complained about him,

testified against him and did not receive a guilty verdict. It's important to me because when I read my victim impact statement and I wrote it, it was four years ago. since the assault every year I've gotten more in tune with my emotions and I've understood what happened to me and I've grown as a person. I've learned more about myself, especially in the last year when we did the documentary. I removed my publication ban. I'm a different person than I was four years ago when I wrote my victim impact statement. It's still very relevant.

However, I have a few things I'd like to add. Jessica is now experiencing healing through. helping others as an advocate for sexual assault survivors. Through BeyondtheVerdict.ca, the advocacy group she co-founded with fellow survivor Kelly Favro and with support from me, she's begun to connect with other survivors and receive invites to speak at events and conferences. Her first speaking engagement was a few months ago. I asked her how she felt going into it, given the last time she spoke out like that was

at the trial. At first I was very, very scared, but after the conference that I went to and I spoke at, I realized that's exactly what I want to do and that's what I should be doing. It might sound dramatic, but it was one of the best days of my life in the last 10 years. And I can only count days that I've genuinely been happy

in the last 10 years, maybe on one hand. I was taken aback by how kind everyone was, I like almost couldn't. I still can't even explain the emotions that I felt. But at the end of the speech, like I got a standing ovation and I just started bawling. And I don't cry in public ever. Might sound like I do in the news, but that's only on the stand. It like it moved me in such a healing way to speak about it and interact with other people who are passionate about it.

And I was really happy to see all of the men in the room. listening to me talk about my assault and another woman talk about the Hockey Canada trial, it meant a lot to me. And I just, I'd like to keep, keep talking about it. Like, I know I want to do that as much as I possibly can. Thanks for listening and special thanks to Jessica Baker. We covered the main parts of the Parole Board of Canada's written decision in this episode. But there's a lot more in there that we couldn't get to. So if you'd like to read it for yourself, we've linked to the full document in the show notes and on the page for this episode at canadian true crime.ca.ca. You'll also find links to learn more about Jessica's case, the trial, our previous

podcast series about it, the CBC documentary Breaking Idol, information about the victim notification process or anything else we've discussed in this episode. This is not the end of the story, so stay tuned. Just a reminder, please don't send negativity or hate to any individuals mentioned in this series. Canadian True Crime donates monthly to those facing injustice. This month, we have donated to beyondtheverdict.ca to help Jessica and Kelly Favreau support sexual assault survivors through their advocacy work. Eric Crosby voiced the disclaimer.

Research, writing, narration, audio editing and sound design was by me, and the themes songs were composed by We Talk of Dreams. I'll be back very soon with another Canadian True Crime episode, the last one before the summer break. See you then.