Former Canadian fashion mogul jailed for sexual harassment – Entertainment

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

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

Prosecutors demanded a 15-year prison sentence for Nygard, arguing that he had demonstrated a “pattern of behavior” in attacking the women.

His defense attorneys argued for a prison sentence of less than two years, asking the judge to take into account his advanced age, deteriorating health and the time he has already spent behind bars.

The verdict is not the end of Nygard's legal battles.

He faces separate charges of sexual assault and sex trafficking in Montreal and Winnipeg, as well as in the United States.

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

Nygard's 11-year sentence will count towards time already spent behind bars, meaning he has more than six years left to serve. He will be eligible for parole in about two years.

In handing down the verdict, Supreme Court Justice Robert Goldstein called Nygard a “sexual predator” and “a Canadian success story gone completely wrong.”

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

Nygard is accused of abusing his influence and wealth to systematically abuse and traffick women in the United States and Canada over several decades while he headed his global clothing design and manufacturing company, Nygard International.

During his six-week criminal trial in Toronto last autumn, prosecutors argued that Nygard – whose fortune was once estimated at at least $700 million (£542 million) – exploited his “status” to abuse five women over the course of several decades.

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

Most of the women told similar stories and Nygard lured them with the promise of a job or professional employment in the fashion industry.

Each of them was then individually invited by Nygard to take a tour of his Toronto office, which ended in his private bedroom suite.

He then raped or abused them in the bedroom, according to the court. The victims were between 16 and 28 years old at the time.

One woman described in her victim impact statement how the attack had thrown her life off track and left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, severe depression and anxiety.