TORONTO — TORONTO (AP) — Former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard was sentenced in a Toronto courtroom Monday to 11 years in prison for sexually assaulting four women. The judge called the 83-year-old a “sexual predator.”
Judge Robert Goldstein said Nygard showed no empathy for his victims, all of whom were attacked in his company’s offices. The judge said one of the aggravating factors in the case was the fact that one of the victims was only 16 years old at the time.
Nygard was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault in November, but was acquitted of a fifth charge and one count of forcible confinement. He faces separate charges of sexual assault and sex trafficking in Montreal, Winnipeg and the US
Nygard has denied all allegations against him.
Nygard, who once headed a women’s fashion empire, arrived at the courthouse in a wheelchair and did not address the court when he had the chance. His time behind bars will be just under seven years, after deducting time served. He will be eligible for parole in two years.
The charges against Nygard stemmed from allegations dating back to the mid-2000s.
During his trial, five women — whose identities are protected by a publication ban — testified that they were invited to Nygard’s Toronto headquarters on pretenses ranging from tours to job interviews. All encounters ended in a top-floor bedroom suite, where four women were sexually assaulted.
Several women told the jury similar stories of meeting Nygard on a plane, at an airport or at a nightclub and then receiving invitations to his headquarters. All five women said their encounters or interactions with Nygard ended with sexual activity to which they did not consent.
Nygard’s lawyer had argued for a six-year prison sentence, citing her client’s age and poor health, while the Crown sought a 15-year sentence.
The judge rejected the argument for a shorter sentence, saying Nygard had received special treatment in custody due to his various health problems and that his advanced age was not reason enough to limit the sentence.
Goldstein also suggested that Nygard had exaggerated his health problems in his comments to the court.
Nygard’s attorney previously argued in court that a long sentence would be “crushing” for her client, who has Type 2 diabetes and deteriorating eyesight among other health problems.
Goldstein called Nygard “a Canadian success story gone terribly wrong.”
Nygard founded a fashion company in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1967, which eventually became Nygard International. His company produced women’s clothing under various brand names and had business facilities in Canada and the US. His shops in Winnipeg were once covered with his photographs.
Nygard stepped down as chairman of the company after the FBI and police raided his New York City office in February 2020. The company has since filed for bankruptcy and entered receivership.
He was first arrested in Winnipeg in 2020 under the extradition bill after being charged in New York with nine charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
In May, Manitoba’s highest court rejected Nygard’s request for a judicial review of his extradition order, ruling there was no basis to interfere with then-Justice Minister David Lametti’s order.
