Judge in Nygard sex assault trial urges jury to keep deliberating after question on how to proceed | CBC News
[ad_1]
The judge in Peter Nygard’s sexual assault trial is urging the jury to keep deliberating after they asked how to proceed if they can’t reach a unanimous decision on one of the counts.
On Friday evening, the jury also asked Justice Robert Goldstein, who is presiding over the Toronto trial, to define a “significant” amount of time as it relates to unlawful confinement.
Justice Goldstein told them that, in this case, a significant period of time means it’s more than momentary and “appreciable,” with no minimum requirement.
The jury has been deliberating since late Wednesday afternoon in Nygard’s trial, which began in late September.
Nygard, 82, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement in alleged incidents ranging from the 1980s to mid-2000s.
He founded Nygard International in Winnipeg in 1967 and stepped down as chairman of the clothing company in February 2020 before it filed for bankruptcy.
WATCH | Jury begins deliberating Wednesday in Nygard trial:
Featured VideoA jury has started deliberating in Peter Nygard’s Toronto sexual assault trial. He’s facing six counts in this case and several other similar charges in different jurisdictions that have yet to go to trial.
Five complainants have testified that they were invited to Nygard’s Toronto headquarters under pretences 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 of the women’s allegations, saying he didn’t recall meeting or interacting with four of them.
The judge told the jury on Friday that they should keep deliberating with an open mind in order to reach a unanimous decision on all counts.
[ad_2]
