TORONTO — Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard is a "sexual predator" who showed no empathy for his victims, an Ontario judge said Monday as he sentenced the disgraced tycoon to 11 years in prison for his crimes in Toronto.
The 83-year-old's time behind bars will work out to a little less than seven years after accounting for credit he received for time already spent in custody, and Nygard will be eligible to apply for parole in just over two years.
Justice Robert Goldstein, who presided over the case, called Nygard "a Canadian success story gone very wrong."
"Peter Nygard is a sexual predator," Goldstein told the court in issuing his sentence Monday after multiple delays and postponements in the case.
Nygard, who arrived in court in a wheelchair and with a full grey beard, did not address the courtroom when given the opportunity. His lawyer Gerri Wiebe later said outside court that Nygard will be appealing his convictions and the sentence.
Nygard was convicted of four counts of sexual assault last November but acquitted of a fifth count as well as one of forcible confinement. The charges stemmed from allegations dating from the 1980s until the mid-2000s, as multiple women accused Nygard of sexually assaulting them at his company’s headquarters in Toronto.
The identities of Nygard's victims are protected by a publication ban but one of them provided a brief written statement that therapist Shannon Moroney – who said she has counselled several victims – read to reporters outside court.
"Today we the survivors finally have closure," the statement said. "It's been a long and bumpy journey but we did it."
Court has previously heard that Nygard's assaults "tainted" his victims and left them struggling to lead healthy, productive lives.
Outside court, Crown lawyer Neville Golwalla noted the "very difficult process for the complainants."
"We commend them for their courage," Golwalla said. "What the jury found happened to these ladies is something that proliferates through our society."
Nygard’s lawyer had argued for a six-year sentence, citing her client's age and poor health, while the Crown sought a sentence of 15 years.
The judge dismissed the argument for less time behind bars, noting that Nygard has been receiving special treatment in custody due to his various health issues and that his advanced age is not reason enough to limit the sentence. Goldstein also suggested Nygard had been exaggerating his health issues in his submissions to the court.
Nygard’s lawyer previously argued that a lengthy sentence would be "crushing" for her client, who has Type 2 diabetes and deteriorating vision, among other ailments.
But Goldstein said Nygard's jail records show that even though not all of his needs have been met in custody, he still receives exceptional accommodations compared to other inmates – such as regular access to a phone and meals brought to his bedside.
The judge cited a number of aggravating factors in his sentencing decision, including the "violence" and "manipulation" involved in Nygard's crimes. He said Nygard had used his wealth and influence to lure the victims to his company's headquarters and assault them – and his power is what kept them afraid to come forward for so long.
"He intentionally humiliated and degraded each victim," Goldstein said, highlighting that one of Nygard's victims was 16 years old at the time.
Goldstein said the fact that Nygard's crimes spanned decades also factored in his decision.
The judge said Nygard submitted several letters of support from people who wrote that they'd never seen him with underage girls or mistreating women. But Goldstein said those letters made "meaningless observations" and he did not consider them to be true character references.
"It is not a mitigating factor that Mr. Nygard could point to the many women he did not rape," he said.
Nygard founded a fashion company in Winnipeg in 1967 that ultimately became Nygard International.
His company produced women's clothing under several brand names and had corporate facilities in both Canada and the U.S. His stores throughout Winnipeg were once draped in his photos.
Aside from his Toronto case, Nygard is also facing charges in Quebec, Manitoba and the United States.
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."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
Sonja Puzic, The Canadian Press