Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in a northeastern Ontario court as his trial gets underway.
The former Hedley frontman, dressed in a dark suit, stood up to enter his not-guilty plea on Monday.
A jury has been selected in the trial taking place in Haileybury, a community within Temiskaming Shores, Ont.
Hoggard is facing a sexual assault charge for an incident alleged to have happened on June 25, 2016, in nearby Kirkland Lake.
He elected in December 2022 to be tried in the Superior Court of Justice by a jury.
The trial is set to continue with opening arguments on Tuesday.
The Canadian Press correction: This is a corrected story. An earlier version incorrectly said Hoggard elected at the end of last year to be tried in the Superior Court of Justice by a jury. In fact, he made that choice in December 2022.
