WARNING: This article contains graphic details of sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence, or those who know someone affected by it.
For years, those who accused former Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard of sexual assault remained nameless. But now, one of them is speaking out in a new documentary.
Previously referred to as J.B. or the “Ottawa woman,” Jessica Baker is now revealing her identity as the survivor of a 2016 assault by Hoggard in a Toronto hotel room.
Hoggard was found guilty of sexual assault causing bodily harm against Baker in June 2022, and was later sentenced to five years in prison. He’s currently serving that sentence after a failed appeal.
Though her identity was covered under a publication ban during and after the trial, Baker decided to have it lifted. In a new documentary from CBC, Breaking Idol, Baker explains she’s speaking out in an effort to reclaim her story.
“Now, I just want people to acknowledge that I’m a real person with feelings,” Baker said in the documentary.
Hoggard rose to prominence as a contestant on Canadian Idol in 2004 before his band, Hedley, took off on airwaves across the country and became beloved by teenage fans. When accusations of misconduct by Hoggard circulated online during the #MeToo era in 2018, the group was dropped by their management team and many radio stations stopped playing their music.
Hoggard was tried in 2022 for accusations of sexual assault against two women — Baker and an anonymous teenager. He was only found guilty for the sexual assault of Baker. Hoggard was also charged with another sexual assault that was alleged to have taken place in Kirkland Lake, Ont., in June 2016, and was found not guilty in October 2024.
He pleaded not guilty in each case.
In court, Baker testified that Hoggard raped her as she cried and said no. She told the court at a sentencing hearing in 2022 that the assault had changed her forever.
“A part of me died that day that I will never get back,” she said at the time.
“My life as I knew it was stolen from me and shattered beyond recognition. The assault took away my worth, my privacy, my body, my confidence and my voice.”
In the documentary, Baker says the trial itself was just as traumatizing.
“It’s the exact same feeling, amplified in front of a room full of strangers and [Hoggard] and his wife,” she said.
Listening to a recording of a phone call between herself and Hoggard from a few days after the assault was “the hardest moment of my … entire life,” Baker said. “Worse than the assault, worse than anything.”
Daphne Gilbert, a law professor at the University of Ottawa who teaches about sexual assault law, followed the 2022 case against Hoggard closely. She says it showed just how difficult it can be for people to testify against those they’re accusing of assault — especially if they happen to be famous.
“We, as a criminal justice system, are relying on complainants to come forward to tell their story to hold, you know, a rapist to justice,” Gilbert said.
“And it’s not an easy ask. It’s actually [a] pretty torturous thing to have to go through a cross-examination from a top-notch lawyer.”
Gilbert says Baker’s choice to make her name public now is extremely “brave.” She says she hopes that Baker re-telling her story might revive calls to change how complainants are treated in the criminal justice system.
“The system right now needs to be fixed for complainants. And in particular, you know, addressing some of the deficiencies of cross examination,” Gilbert said.
She said testimonial limits that would prevent defence lawyers from asking complainants repetitive questions during cross examination and shorten the amount of time a complainant spends on the stand could make the process better for survivors.
A Toronto judge has sentenced former Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard to five years in prison for sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman in the fall of 2016. Hoggard pleaded not guilty to the charge at his trial and has appealed the decision.
Publication bans can protect and harm, advocate says
Throughout the court case, Baker’s identity was protected by a publication ban — a rule that bars media from publishing someone’s name or any information that could reveal their identity.
Farrah Khan, CEO of Possibility Seeds, a consultancy which works to address gender equity and work with survivors of sexual violence, says publication bans can give survivors a sense of anonymity.
They block family members, employers, acquaintances or others in the complainant’s life from learning about painful details, and are meant to prevent harassment or scrutiny, especially in cases where there is heightened media attention or the accused is a high-profile person.
But they can also harm survivors by putting restrictions on their ability to tell their own stories, Khans says, as they can’t share details publicly if there’s a publication ban.
“So many times, survivors in this process … don’t have a voice, are robbed of their ability to share their story in a way that feels safe for them, to talk about their experience openly with friends and family,” Khan said.
The important part now, she says, is that Baker gets to choose to share what she went through in a way that makes sense to her.
“Justice is not just the court system, it is also being able to tell your story,” Khan said.
Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
