Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard, dubbed "Canada's Jeffrey Epstein" by the country's media, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. The 83-year-old, who was found guilty in November of sexually assaulting three women in their 20s and a 16-year-old girl, was given credit for time served, meaning he has just under seven years left to serve, though he could be eligible for parole in two years, the CBC reports. Toronto Superior Court Justice Robert Goldstein described Nygard as a "sexual predator" and a "Canadian success story gone very wrong," reports the BBC.
"He used his wealth and his power to commit four sexual assaults," the judge said. During the trial, the women testified that Nygard assaulted them in the private bedroom suite at his Toronto office after he lured them to the building with promises of work in the fashion industry or help with their careers. The attacks happened between the late 1980s and 2005. The judge said the fact that Nygard "didn't moderate or change his behavior" was an aggravating factor, as were his manipulation and degradation of the women, his lack of empathy, and the age of the youngest victim.
Nygard has been in custody since his arrest in 2020, and his lawyers called for a shorter sentence, saying a long prison term would be "crushing" in light of his age and declining health. The judge said that if he imposed a lighter sentence, it would send the message that rich and powerful men who prey on women could "escape culpability" if they "hold off the day of judgment long enough," the CBC reports. Nygard has more days in court to come. The AP reports that he faces sexual assault and sex trafficking charges in Montreal, Winnipeg, and the US. (More Peter Nygard stories.)
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