Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard, 83, was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Toronto court on Monday for sexually assaulting four women. Justice Robert Goldstein, who delivered the sentence, described Nygard as a “sexual predator” who lacked empathy for his victims, including a 16-year-old girl. Nygard, who once led a prominent women’s fashion empire, was convicted in November on four counts of sexual assault, though he was acquitted on one count of sexual assault and another of forcible confinement.
The charges against Nygard span from the 1980s to the mid-2000s, with victims recounting their harrowing experiences at Nygard’s Toronto business headquarters. During the trial, five women testified about being lured to Nygard’s offices under pretenses, where four of them were assaulted in a top-floor bedroom suite. Despite his advanced age and deteriorating health, the judge rejected calls for a shorter sentence, stating that Nygard’s age was not a sufficient reason for leniency.
Nygard, who has denied all allegations, faces additional charges of sexual assault and sex trafficking in Montreal, Winnipeg, and the U.S. He was arrested in Winnipeg in 2020 and has since been in custody. His once-successful fashion company, Nygard International, has since filed for bankruptcy following a raid by the FBI and police in New York. Nygard will be eligible for parole in two years.
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