AceShowbiz - Jacob Hoggard, the lead singer of Canadian rock band Hedley, has been charged with sexual assault.

The 34-year-old was arrested on Monday, July 23 in Toronto on charges of sexual interference and two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm, police announced in a statement to the local press.

The Toronto Police Service Sex Crimes unit has been officially investigating Hoggard since March following allegations from multiple women. Under the Canadian criminal code, sexual interference is defined as any time an adult touches a person under the age of 16 for a sexual purpose, which suggests that one of the women may have been a minor at the time of the alleged assault.

Earlier this year, Katie Summers, a Calgary radio host, claimed Hoggard had made inappropriate remarks and touched her behind, while in 2016 CBC reported that he had allegedly assaulted a woman from Ottawa in a hotel room and tried to force a woman from Toronto to engage in sexual activity without her consent.

Hedley has been on an "indefinite hiatus" since February when accusations against the frontman were first brought to light, and released a statement saying that while the allegations were "unsubstantiated," the group had "engaged in a lifestyle that incorporated certain rock and roll cliches" in the past.

Of the allegations, Hoggard previously said: "I need to be completely clear: I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual behaviour in my life. Ever. However, over the last 13 years, I have behaved in a way that objectified women."

The singer will appear in court to face the criminal charges on Thursday.