Peter Nygard, the founder of one of Canada’s largest clothing brands, was sentenced on Monday to 11 years in prison for four counts of sexual assault against women and a girl in Toronto.
He could be released in approximately six and a half years with credit for time spent in pre-trial custody or sooner if granted parole.
Nygard, 83, is “a Canadian success story gone very wrong,” Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Goldstein remarked during the sentencing. He described Nygard as “a sexual predator,” adding, “Mr Nygard used his wealth, power and profile to prey on his victims.”
Wearing a dark hoodie and a makeshift visor to shield his eyes in court, Nygard showed no visible reaction to the ruling.
His lawyer, Gerri Wiebe, stated that Nygard planned to appeal the sentence while continuing to “maintain his innocence” in other ongoing criminal cases.
Outside the Toronto courthouse, a spokesperson for one of Nygard’s victims, whose identities are protected by court order, read a statement expressing a sense of closure after “four years of hell.”
“We did this to ensure every victim of sexual assault will remember this trial and feel the strength and confidence to come forward and not be threatened by social status or money,” the statement read.
Nygard was convicted in November 2023 of using his status as the head of one of Canada’s largest womenswear brands to sexually assault three women and a 16-year-old girl between 1988 and 2005.
During the trial, the court heard that Nygard had lured these women to his lavish Canadian offices under the guise of offering lucrative modelling or other opportunities, only for them to find themselves trapped in a top-floor bedroom suite with a hot tub, where he preyed on them.
The case marked a dramatic fall from grace for a man who once presided over 170 eponymous stores across Canada and the United States and hosted extravagant parties at his homes in the Bahamas and Los Angeles.
Prosecutors had sought at least a 15-year prison term, while the defence, citing Nygard’s advanced age and deteriorating health, pushed for a release within two years.
The judge, however, pointed out the severity of the crimes, highlighting the “violence, degradation, and duration of these sexual assaults, as well as the manipulations used to get the victims into (his) private apartment” in Toronto.
The judge noted that Nygard also showed no signs of moderating his behaviour over the years.
At the peak of his success, Nygard dined with Queen Elizabeth II and mingled with political leaders and Hollywood stars.
He had long boasted of his journey from humble beginnings as a Finnish immigrant to building a fashion empire, amassing a personal fortune of Can$850 million (US$620 million).
However, everything unravelled in 2020 when police raided his Manhattan corporate headquarters, and his company filed for bankruptcy protection shortly afterwards.
Nygard’s arrest in Canada that same year followed the release of whistleblower footage showing a 17-year-old dancing on a stripper pole on his private Boeing 727 plane.
One of his Canadian accusers described Nygard as “a monster.”
In the United States, prosecutors claim Nygard used company funds to host “pamper parties,” where underage girls were drugged and women assaulted if they refused his sexual advances. They are seeking his extradition to the U.S.
Nygard also faces further trials on separate charges in Manitoba and Quebec Canadian provinces.
