Canadian former fashion mogul jailed for sexual assaults

(Web Desk) – Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been sentenced to 11 years for sexually assaulting four women in Toronto, Canada from the late 1980s to 2005.

The 83-year-old was convicted last November by a jury after he denied the charges.

Prosecutors sought a 15-year prison sentence for Nygard, arguing that he displayed a “pattern of behaviour” when he assaulted the women.

His defence team argued for a sentence of less than two years, asking the judge to factor in his advanced age, declining health and the time he has already spent behind bars.

The sentencing is not the end of Nygard’s legal challenges.

He faces separate sexual assault and sex trafficking charges in Montreal and Winnipeg as well as in the US.

He has denied any wrongdoing and the other charges have not been tested in court.

Nygard’s 11-year sentence will take into account the time he has already spent behind bars meaning he has more than 6 years left to serve. He will be eligible for full parole in about two years.

When delivering his sentence, Superior Court Justice Robert Goldstein called Nygard a “sexual predator” and a “Canadian success story gone very wrong”.

“He used his wealth and his power to commit four sexual assaults,” Judge Goldstein said.

Nygard has been accused of using his influence and wealth to systematically assault and traffic women in both the US and Canada over a number of decades, when he was at the helm Nygard International, his global clothing design and manufacturing business.

Over his six-week criminal trial in Toronto last autumn, prosecutors argued that Nygard – once estimated to be worth at least $700m (£542m) – used his “status” to assault five women over the course of a few decades.

Nygard was found guilty of sexually assaulting four out of the five women in the case.

Most of the women detailed similar stories, in which Nygard lured them with the promise of work or professional help in the fashion industry.

Each of them were then invited separately to a tour by Nygard at his Toronto office that ended in his private bedroom suite.

He then raped or sexually assaulted them inside the bedroom, the court heard. The victims were aged 16 to 28 at the time.

One woman described in her victim impact statement how the assault derailed life and left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, severe depression and anxiety.