WINNIPEG, CANADA: Peter Nygard, a former fashion mogul, has been arrested on additional sexual assault charges related to a 1993 case in which he was accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old at his company's headquarters in Canada. The arrest warrant was obtained by the Winnipeg Police Service on Monday, July 10, after months of investigation into the 30-year-old case
Nygard, who is now 81, has been slapped with two more charges of sexual assault and unlawful confinement. He is also facing criminal charges in the US, Toronto and Quebec for various sexual assault and forcible confinement offenses.
Where is Peter Nygard?
Nygard has been in custody since December 2020, when he was arrested in Winnipeg on a provisional warrant issued on behalf of US prosecutors. This arrest comes after he was charged with nine counts, including sex trafficking in New York. He is currently being held at the Toronto South Detention Centre, where he was transferred after being initially detained at the Headingley Correctional Centre. His trial in Toronto is scheduled to start in September and last for 10 weeks.
The Winnipeg Police Service will release more details about the 1993 case in court. One of his accusers, April Telek, stated that he raped her and held her captive after inviting her for a modeling job in 1993. She said, “This feels like such a huge victory for me after such a long battle trying to get my truth told and heard and believed," adding, "It's not a full victory because I still have sisters out there who he is not being held accountable for the damage that he has done to them. But for me today, I want to really, truly embrace this as a win and the justice system works.”
Peter Nygard's legal troubles
Nygard has been accused of luring at least 10 women to his home in the Bahamas with promises of money and modeling opportunities, only to allegedly assault them after getting them drunk and drugging them. One of his alleged victims was a 15-year-old girl, whom he tried to sodomize before raping and asking her to defecate in his mouth before offering her money.
The legal issues surrounding Nygard are complex, with charges in multiple jurisdictions and ongoing investigations. He also faces a count of sexual assault and forcible confinement in Quebec for a crime that allegedly took place between November 1997 and November 1998, according to CBC. He is set to be extradited to the US to face charges after his Canadian legal matters are resolved. His trial in Quebec is scheduled to begin in June 2024.
