Former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard, 83, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Toronto court for sexually assaulting four women. The judge described Nygard as a 'sexual predator' and highlighted his lack of empathy towards the victims, who were all assaulted in his company's offices. One victim was just 16 years old at the time of the assault, which the judge deemed as an aggravating factor.
Nygard, who denied all allegations against him, was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault but acquitted of a fifth count and one count of forcible confinement. He is also facing separate sexual assault and sex trafficking charges in Montreal, Winnipeg, and the U.S.
During the trial, it was revealed that Nygard's encounters with the victims dated back to the 1980s until the mid-2000s. The victims testified that they were lured to Nygard's Toronto business headquarters under false pretenses and were then sexually assaulted in a top-floor bedroom suite.
Despite Nygard's lawyer arguing for a shorter sentence due to his age and health issues, the judge dismissed the plea, stating that Nygard had been receiving special treatment in custody and that his advanced age should not limit the sentence. The judge also questioned the validity of Nygard's health claims.
Justice Goldstein referred to Nygard as 'a Canadian success story gone very wrong.' Nygard founded a fashion company in Winnipeg in 1967, which later became Nygard International. However, following legal troubles, including the FBI raiding his offices in New York City in 2020, Nygard stepped down as chairman, and the company filed for bankruptcy.
Nygard's legal woes escalated when he was arrested in Winnipeg in 2020 under the Extradition Act for charges in New York, including sex trafficking and racketeering. Despite his health issues, Nygard will serve nearly seven years in prison and will be eligible for parole in two years.
The court's decision marks a significant chapter in the downfall of a once-prominent figure in the fashion industry, whose legacy has been tarnished by serious criminal allegations.
