Jury finds Nygard guilty of 4 sexual assault charges, acquits him on 2 other counts

Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been found guilty of four counts of sexual assault, but acquitted of a fifth count plus a charge a forcible confinement.

The jury at his trial in Toronto handed down the verdict on their fifth day of deliberations following a six-week trial.

Eighty-two-year-old Nygard had pleaded not guilty to all charges, which stemmed from allegations dating back from the 1980s to the mid-2000s.

Five complainants had testified that they were invited to Nygard’s Toronto headquarters under pretenses ranging from tours to job interviews, with all encounters ending in a top-floor bedroom suite where they alleged they were sexually assaulted.

Nygard testified in his own defence and denied all five women’s allegations, saying he didn’t even recall meeting or interacting with four of them.

The Crown had argued the women’s testimonies were credible while Nygard’s was not, and the defence claimed the complainants had crafted a “false narrative.”

This report from The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2023.