(Toronto) One of the women sexually assaulted by former fashion mogul Peter Nygard wept in court Wednesday as she described how the decades-old assault had “tainted” her life, eroding her mental health, interfering with her career and discouraging her from forming long-term relationships.
The woman, who cannot be identified under a publication ban, said she began having panic attacks and anxiety after Nygard raped her at his former company’s Toronto headquarters in the late 1980s.
After that, the woman “couldn’t stand to be seen anymore,” which hampered her successful acting career, and she also couldn’t trust men or develop more meaningful relationships, she told a Toronto court at the start of Mr. Nygard’s sentencing hearing.
“This rape has stained my life,” she said. “I have not reached my full potential.”
“I am now a 63-year-old woman and I am deeply saddened by the lack of love in my life,” she added. “In retrospect, I realize that it is a direct result of that rape.”
Peter Nygard, 83, was convicted of four counts of sexual assault last November but was acquitted of a fifth charge, as well as one count of forcible confinement.
The charges relate to allegations dating from the 1980s to the mid-2000s.
PHOTO TADENS MPWENE, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Peter Nygard, former fashion mogul
Other testimonials
Two other complainants, neither of whom could be identified, also laid bare on Wednesday the lasting emotional and mental impact of the sexual assaults.
“The damage caused by my sexual assault is infinite,” one of them said in a statement read to the court.
“The nightmares are endless, not to mention the pain and shame,” she said, adding that the court proceedings – and delays in sentencing – have caused her to relive the trauma and prolonged the healing process.
Another complainant said her life had been derailed by Peter Nygard’s actions and she was now living “under a veil of sadness.”
“I’m still fragile, I’m still fragile,” she said.
The mother of one of the complainants also described her lingering guilt in a written statement read by the Crown, saying she was misled into taking her daughter “into a trap where she was raped.”
15-year sentence requested
Prosecutors argued Wednesday that while a 19-year sentence was appropriate, they are asking the judge to sentence Mr. Nygard to 15 years in prison to take into account his age and health.
The Crown is also asking that Mr. Nygard be given one day’s credit for each of the more than 1,000 days he has spent in custody to date, instead of 1.5 days.
Aggravating factors include premeditation and the fact that Peter Nygard used his wealth, power and position in society to exploit young women for his own pleasure, Crown prosecutor Neville Golwalla argued.
“This model must be understood for what it is. In simple terms: predatory,” said Mr.e Golwalla.
Nygard’s breaches of consent were “deliberate and overt,” he argued, noting that the complainants said they repeatedly said no and the verdict suggests the jury believed their stories.
“Consent was not on Mr. Nygard’s mind. Possession was what fueled his actions,” Mr.e Golwalla.
Mitigating factors
Peter Nygard’s age and health are mitigating factors, his lawyer suggested.
Gerri Wiebe said her client is not just facing health problems due to aging, but needs “enhanced care and treatment” to live.
She listed a number of health issues, including type 2 diabetes, which he was previously able to manage partly through his diet before being taken into custody. He is continually served “inappropriate food” and has lost a lot of weight in custody, she said.
Mr. Nygard also suffers from deteriorating vision, chronic pain and multiple allergies, as well as mobility issues and incontinence due to an enlarged prostate, she noted.
Me Wiebe also challenged some of the aggravating circumstances listed by the Crown.
Me Golwalla argued that the onus was on Nygard to demonstrate that his medical needs could not be met in a correctional facility.
Mr. Nygard sat in a wheelchair for part of Wednesday’s hearing, wearing a winter jacket over a hoodie and what appeared to be a visor.
The sentencing hearing that began Wednesday has been postponed several times, in part because Mr. Nygard’s two previous defence lawyers, Brian Greenspan and Megan Savard, asked to withdraw from the case earlier this year.
Peter Nygard, who once ran a multi-million dollar clothing empire, has also faced health issues throughout the affair.
Other charges
In addition to the Toronto case, he also faces charges in two other provinces and the United States.
Her trial in Manitoba on sexual assault charges has been delayed in part because of M’s resignation.e Greenspan as defense counsel in this case as well as the Toronto case.
Mr. Nygard also faces one count of sexual assault and one count of unlawful confinement in Quebec.
He was first arrested in Winnipeg in 2020 under the Extradition Act after being indicted on nine counts in New York, including sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
In May, Manitoba’s top court dismissed an application for judicial review of Nygard’s extradition order, saying there was no reason to interfere with the order issued by then-Justice Minister David Lametti.
None of the criminal charges against Mr. Nygard in Quebec, Manitoba or the United States have been tested in court, and he has denied all of the allegations against him.