Prince Andrew’s pal Peter Nygard to be jailed for sex assault on 4 women fashion mogul lured with fake job interviews
PRINCE Andrew’s tycoon pal Peter Nygard is set to be jailed today after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting four women.
Canadian fashion mogul Nygard, 82, has been described as being “worse than Epstein” with 60 women in total suing him.
Nygard was convicted after a six-week trial in November last year and will appear in a Toronto court at 2pm today to learn his sentence.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges based on allegations dating from the 1980s to the mid-2000s.
His lawyers branded the accusers, five women who testified against him in court, “gold diggers”.
But his accusers labeled the sex offender a “monster” who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.
The women described how they met Nygard on a plane, at a nightclub, or even in an airport.
He would then lure them in with fake job interviews – the promise of connections or work in the fashion industry and invite them to tour his office, before taking them to his private bedroom.
All five women said their meetings with Nygard ended in sexual activity they did not consent to.
On Wednesday, Nygard appeared in a Toronto courtroom for the start of the two day sentencing clad in a black sweatshirt and puffer jacket.
He hid his face under a mask and visor as he listened silently to victim impact statements.
Three of them came from accusers who gave harrowing details about how the assaults left them with depression, anxiety and even ruined their careers.
One woman said: “The actions that Nygard took have impacted my life in a debilitating way.
“I did not feel safe being seen. Therefore I did not trust men and did not engage in long-term relationships with anyone for my entire life.
“Now a 63-year-old woman, I’m deeply saddened by the lack of love in my life.”
Last year the fashion mogul said he couldn’t remember four of the five women in the case, and claimed he would have never acted “in that kind of manner”.
A jury found him guilty on four counts of sexual assault but not guilty on a fifth, as well as one count of forcible confinement.
One of the complainants said Nygard wouldn’t let her leave his private suite – which led to the confinement charge.
Others said they felt trapped in the suite, describing doors that had to be opened with a keypad code or the push of a button near the bed.
One called Nygard “a monster”.
Another said: “He lunged at me and adeptly pinned me on the bed. I kept repeating the word ‘no,’ at least 50 times.”
Nygard also faces sexual assault and sex trafficking charges in Montreal, Winnipeg and the US.
He has denied all wrongdoing and those charges have not yet been taken to court.
It took decades for these women to get justice and for their experiences to be validated
Crown prosecutor Neville Golwalla
The six-week case last year decided that Nygard used his “status” to assault the five women.
He was once estimated to be with at least £540 million.
Crown prosecutor Neville Golwalla asked the judge for a sentence of 15 years yesterday.
He said: “It took decades for these women to get justice and for their experiences to be validated.”
Nygard’s lawyer Gerri Wiebe asked for a shorter sentence, because of his age and deteriorating health.
The court was told he struggles with chronic pain and has type 2 diabetes as well as a glaucoma which requires surgery.
Nygard 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.
Lisa Haba, a lawyer representing almost 60 women suing Nygard in the US, has previously said “Nygard is worse than (Jeffrey) Epstein”.
“We believe he had more victims, and he was more violent,” she said in 2021.
Nygard founded a fashion firm in Winnipeg in 1967 which became the hugely successful Nygard International.
He dined with the late Queen Elizabeth and rubbed shoulders with political leaders and Hollywood stars.
Nygard long boasted about his rise from humble beginnings, as a young Finnish immigrant who built a fashion empire with almost 170 stores at its peak.
He invited Prince Andrew and his ex Sarah Ferguson to his luxurious estate in the Bahamas in 2000.
The fashion mogul and Andrew were pictured together on the holiday island.
Andrew, Sarah and their two daughters toured the grounds of Nygard’s estate for two hours, but did not stay at the mansion.