Fashion mogul Peter Nygard found guilty of four sexual assault charges by Canadian jury

Peter Nygard, a former fashion mogul, has been found guilty of four counts of sexual assault. 

A Toronto jury on Sunday released the verdict after five women testified against Peter Nygard, 82, that he used a private bedroom suite in his company headquarters to assault them, reported AP.

After five days of deliberation, the court acquitted Nygard of one of five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement.

During the six-week-long trial, the court heard graphic and emotional testimony from five women about assaults that occurred between the 1980s and mid-2000s. 

According to the prosecutors, Nygard met the women in social settings and invited them to his clothing empire headquarters in Toronto. He took the women on a tour, which ended in his bedroom suite with a bed, televisions and jacuzzi. The doors didn’t have handles, and Nygard controlled the locks, added the prosecution.

One of the women who testified against Nygard said she was only 16 years old when an older man she was dating took her to the headquarters, where Nygard sexually assaulted her. When she was leaving the premises, a woman handed her an emergency contraceptive pill. 

In another instance, a woman broke down during her testimony in court. She said she was worried about complaining against him because of his wealth and influence. 

However, Nygard denied all the allegations of sexual misconduct and assault. He told the court that he did not recall meeting four of the five women or any interaction with them decades ago. “My position is that I would not have conducted myself in that manner,” Nygard told the court. 

Ana Serban, a Crown prosecutor, called Nygard’s testimony “unreliable” during the closing arguments.

Nygard’s lawyer, Brian Greenspan, claimed that the statements given by the five women were not credible because of “fatal flaws and lack of testimonial trustworthiness.” After the jury released the verdict on Sunday, Greenspan said he was considering appealing it. 

Besides the guilty verdict on Sunday, Nygard also faces criminal charges in other jurisdictions. He is facing sexual assault and forcible confinement charges in Quebec and Manitoba, with allegations dating back to the 1990s.

Furthermore, he faces a lawsuit brought by 57 women, including 18 Canadians, in the United States. The case alleged that Nygard used violence, intimidation, bribery and company workers to entice victims and dodge blame for decades. However, Nygard has denied all allegations.

(With inputs from agencies)