Heavy charges were read to Peter Nygård on Tuesday.
Nygård is accused of five counts of rape and one count of deprivation of liberty. PDO
Finnish-born Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygård, 82, was read the charges in Toronto on Tuesday. According to the prosecutor, Nygård used his power and fame to sexually abuse young women.
Prosecutor Ana Serban described briefly but in detail each crime Nygård is accused of in his opening statement. He described Nygård as forcing his victims into sexual intercourse and raping them.
Nygård is accused of five counts of rape and one count of deprivation of liberty. Nygård has denied all the accusations against him.
The victims are said to have been women between the ages of 16 and 28 at the time of the crime. The sexual offenses are said to have taken place in a suite at Nygård’s headquarters in downtown Toronto between the late 1980s and 2005.
According to the prosecutor, Nygård escorted the women to a suite equipped with amenities. However, according to what was heard in court, there were no handles on the doors of the suite and the locks were in Nygård’s possession.
Nygård arrived in court in handcuffs, restrained by a guard. According to the CBC, he stood and showed no emotion as the charges were read to the jury.
Nygård arrived in court in a wheelchair. Due to the photography ban, the courtroom cartoonist has immortalized the situation: Nygård is on the left side. ZUMA
Nygård once rose to fame with the Nygard International women’s clothing company he founded.
Source: CBC