Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard pleads not guilty at Ontario sexual assault trial

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 hisplea on Monday.

Eight women and four men have been selected to serve as jurors for the trialin Temiskaming Shores, Ont., a community roughly 150 kilometres northeast of Sudbury.Two women were also selected as alternate jurors.

Hoggard is facing one charge of sexual assault in connection with an alleged incident in June 2016 in the nearby town of Kirkland Lake.

He elected at the end of last year to be tried in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice by a jury.

The Crown is expected to begin presenting its case on Tuesday.