Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard was found guilty of sexual assault .

An Ontario court sentenced the disgraced tycoon to 11 years in jail for his crimes in Toronto on Monday, calling former fashion entrepreneur Peter Nygard a "sexual predator" who lacked empathy for his victims.

After taking into account the credit he obtained for time already served in custody, the 83-year-old's sentence will come to a little less than seven years behind bars. In just over two years, Nygard will be qualified to petition for parole. 



The case's judge, Robert Goldstein, referred to Nygard as "a Canadian success story gone horribly incorrect."

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The defence is requesting a 6-year term for former fashion tycoon Peter Nygard, and the sentencing hearing has been moved back to September.
As the sentence hearing begins, a woman tells the court that Nygard's acts "tainted" her life.
"Peter Nygard is a sexual predator," Goldstein said the court on Monday when he handed down his punishment, which came after the case had been delayed several times.

When given the chance, Nygard, who entered the courtroom in a wheelchair and had a full beard of grey hair, chose not to speak in front of the judges. Later, outside of court, his attorney Gerri Wiebe declared that Nygard will be appealing both his convictions and the punishment.

In November of last year, Nygard was found not guilty on one of the five counts of sexual assault and one of forcible imprisonment. The fees originated from claims made by several women between the 1980s and the mid-2000s, alleging that Nygard had sexually assaulted them at the Toronto headquarters of his company.

The victims of Nygard have their identities shielded by a publication restriction, but one of them sent a brief written statement that was read to reporters outside of court by therapist Shannon Moroney, who claimed to have counselled other victims.

The message read, "Today we the survivors finally have closure." "It's been a long and bumpy journey but we did it."

According to earlier testimony presented in court, Nygard's attacks "tainted" his victims and made it difficult for them to lead happy, fulfilling lives.

Outside of court, Neville Golwalla, the counsel for the Crown, pointed out that the procedure was "very difficult for the complainants."

Golwalla remarked, "We applaud them for their courage." "How the What the jury discovered about these women is indicative of a widespread issue in our culture."



Given Nygard's advanced age and ill health, her attorney had advocated for a six-year term, but the Crown had requested a fifteen-year sentence.

The judge rejected the request for a shorter prison term, stating that Nygard's senior age should not be a factor in reducing the sentence because he has been receiving special treatment in imprisonment because of a number of health difficulties. Furthermore, Goldstein implied that Nygard had been inflating his medical problems in court filings.

A lengthy term, according to Nygard's attorney, would be "crushing" for her client, who suffers from Type 2 diabetes, failing eyesight, and other conditions.

However, according to Goldstein, Nygard's criminal history Despite the fact that not all of his demands have been satisfied while he is in custody, he nevertheless enjoys extraordinary treatment in comparison to other prisoners, including regular phone use and food delivered right to his bed.

In determining Nygard's sentence, the judge considered several aggravating circumstances, such as the "violence" and "manipulation" of his offences. He claimed that Nygard had assaulted the victims at the corporate offices of his company by using his riches and connections, and that the reason they were scared to come forward for so long was because of his influence.

Goldstein stated, "He purposefully degraded and humiliated each victim," noting that one of Nygard's victims was 16 at the time.

Nygard's multi-decade criminal history, according to Goldstein, played a role in his choice. The judge stated that Nygard produced multiple letters of support from witnesses attesting to his innocence of mistreating women or having sex with minors. However, Goldstein claimed that such letters contained "meaningless observations" and that they weren't accurate allusions to certain characters.

"It is not a mitigating factor that Mr. Nygard could point to the many women he did not rape," he stated.

In 1967, Nygard established a fashion business in Winnipeg that later grew to become Nygard International.

His business has corporate offices in both Canada and the United States and produced women's apparel under a number of brand names. His pictures used to hang in his establishments all across Winnipeg.

Nygard is being prosecuted in the United States, Canada, and Quebec in addition to his Toronto case.

He was first arrested in Winnipeg in 2020 under the Extradition Act after he was charged with nine counts in New York, including sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

In May, Manitoba's highest court dismissed Nygard's application for a judicial review of his extradition order, finding there was no reason to interfere with the order issued by then-justice minister David Lametti.

None of the criminal charges against Nygard in Quebec, Manitoba or the U.S. have been tested in court, and he has denied all allegations against him.

"He's going to continue to defend himself where he can, appeal where he can," Wiebe, his lawyer, said Monday.

Golwalla, the prosecutor, said he didn't want to speculate on how an appeal might be handled until the paperwork is filed. But he noted that Goldstein began his sentencing by calling Nygard a predator.

"And that is the story," he said. "That was the finding of the jury."  was initially detained in Winnipeg in 2020 under to the Extradition Act following his indictment on nine counts in New York, encompassing charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.

The highest court in Manitoba denied Nygard's request for a judicial review of his extradition order in May, concluding that there was no justification for interfering with the directive given by former justice minister David Lametti.

Nygard has refuted all of the accusations made against him, and none of the criminal charges against him in Quebec, Manitoba, or the United States have been put to the test in court.

According to his attorney Wiebe, "He's going to continue to defend himself where he can, appeal where he can," on Monday.

Prosecutor Golwalla stated that until the documentation is filed, he would prefer not to make any assumptions about the potential course of an appeal.


Read more:
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/former-fashion-mogul-peter-nygard-sentenced-to-11-years-in-prison-1.7030242

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