FORMER fashion mogul Peter Nygard was at the pinnacle of high society when he lured girls back to his luxury home to sexually assault them in a room with no door handles.
The 82-year-old’s secret life of vile abuse has been revealed after he was this week convicted of sexually assaulting four women aged between 16 and 28 from the 1980s to the mid-2000s.
SplashPeter Nygard reportedly flew out bikini and lingerie models from the US to his Caribbean playground for the ultra rich[/caption]
Peter Nygård GlobalNygard Cay was home to a 150,000-square-foot estate complete with fake volcanoes[/caption]
Prince Andrew pictured on Nygard’s island in 2000
APNygard founded Canadian clothing brand Nygard International in 1967[/caption]
CBCThe millionaire ogles a young woman dancing on his private jet’s built-in stripper pole[/caption]
APNygard, left, stood as he faced conviction in a Toronto court on Sunday[/caption]
A known pal of Prince Andrew, the disgraced former fashion executive once threw lavish parties at his mansion in the Bahamas attended by celebrities and politicians including Oprah Winfrey, President George Bush Sr, Robert De Niro, and Sean Connery.
Pictures published in 2020 showed Nygard aboard his distinctive chrome blue liveried private Boeing 747, dubbed the N-Force.
He held his eyeglasses in his hand and wore a wide grin as he ogled a young woman dancing on the aircraft’s built-in stripper pole.
Neon blue lights revealed a mirrored interior plastered with Nygard’s face and name, leaving no room for anyone to mistake who owned the aerial palace decked out with four beds, a full-stocked bar, and a cinema lounge.
The Canadian businessman, once estimated to be worth £570million, used his “power and status” to assault the four women, prosecutors told a Toronto court during a six-week trial that concluded on Sunday.
They alleged he invited the women to his firm’s Toronto headquarters under a professional guise, promising them tours or job offers, before luring them to his private suite where he sexually assaulted them.
Inside the bedroom was “a giant bed … and a bar and doors, doors with no handles and automatic locks controlled by Peter Nygard”, one prosecutor, Ana Serban, told the court.
Ms Serban alleged the 82-year-old assaulted the women once they were trapped in the room, the BBC reports.
Nygard denied the charges against him while his defence team accused the victims of “gold digging” for financial gain.
He was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault – and acquitted of a fifth count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement – by a jury on Sunday.
The former executive told the court: “The type of allegations that were said and were described is the kind of conduct that I know that I have never done, I never would do”.
He added he did not recall four of the five women who had accused him of sexual assault.
The conviction raises questions about his relationships with some of the world’s most famous and powerful people.
Not long after Nygard settled cases of sexual harassment against three women out of court in 2000, Prince Andrew visited the mogul’s opulent estate in the Caribbean with his ex Sarah Ferguson.
Nygard would often host what he called “Pamper Parties” at his massive island resort, Nygard Cay, where he allegedly chose girls for sex then either forced himself on them or offered them cash.
His office on the island allegedly included a “passion pit” with a sofa that instantly converted into a bed.
Events on the island were described by an attendee in investigative reporter Melissa Cronin’s book Predator King as “one big orgy”.
Nude statues modelled after Nygard’s exes, an underground dance floor with hidden cameras, and a karaoke room where Nygard would watch scantily-dressed women dance until dawn were alleged to have been key features of the resort.
Bikini and lingerie models were reportedly flown out from the US to the Mayan-inspired estate, with his house manager Richette Ross claiming in Cronin’s book it was “mainly females” on the island as the millionaire “didn’t like the competition”.
Guests were allegedly photographed as they arrived, on Nygard’s orders, to be saved to his “personal database”.
Nygard was the second rich friend of the duke to be arrested on claims of sex attacks, with Prince Andrew‘s other mate billionaire Jeffrey Epstein arrested on charges of sex trafficking underage girls.
The paedophile was alleged to have trafficked a teen to the royal, who vehemently denies having sex with her. He was found dead in his prison cell while awaiting trial.
A source close to the Nygard case previously said: “There is no direct link between Andrew and allegations Nygard is facing.
“But the fact the prince has been linked, and pictured, with a man facing very serious sexual assault allegations will put him under more pressure.”
There is no suggestion he knew of Nygard’s crimes. Nor is there any suggestion of improper behaviour by anyone who visited Nygard Cay.
Creepy footage from 2008 showed the fashion tycoon dressed in a sleazy t-shirt emblazoned with the words “F**k Buddy” as he told a young woman, “I’m your new boyfriend”.
Nygard was seen in the clip playing beach volleyball with three or four other men near his Bahamas mansion.
Crowds cheered as the long-haired millionaire ran to a group of young women sitting at the side of the court and paused in front of one to say: “How are you? I am Peter Nygard. I am your new boyfriend.”
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have also been photographed with the disgraced businessman, who stepped down as chairman of his firm Nygard International in February 2020.
Nygard’s abdication came shortly before the company filed for bankruptcy after US authorities raided its New York offices.
It was alleged in a civil claim brought by ten women in 2020 that Nygard ran a “sex-trafficking ring” involving girls as young as 14 from his luxury home in the Caribbean.
Lisa Haba, whose law firm represented some of the accusers, said at the time: “Sadly, we understand from our exhaustive investigation that there may be hundreds of additional Nygard victims yet to come forward.
“We want these women to know that they are stronger, and their voices are more powerful, than the man who inflicted this horrible abuse.
“Peter Nygard’s reign of terror has come to an end and we are committed to ensuring that he is brought to justice.”
Nygard has been jailed since his arrest in December 2020.
US prosecutors demanded Nygard’s arrest in Canada following allegations he used his businesses to lure women and girls to sexually gratify himself and his associates.
Toronto police brought their own charges about a year later.
Nygard also faces charges of sexual assault and forcible confinement in Manitoba and Quebec. He denies all allegations.
WLS-TVSean Connery with Peter Nygard at his island resort[/caption]
ReutersNygard has been jailed since his arrest in December 2020[/caption]
EnterpriseNygard with actor Robert De Niro in the Bahamas[/caption]
The former fashion mogul lived on Nygard Cay for 40 years before returning to Canada in 2019
Nygard, right black jacket, with Sarah Ferguson, left, and daughters Beatrice and EugenieEnterprise
WLS-TVPeter Nygard with George and Barbara Bush[/caption]
SplashThe disgraced businessman is seen wearing a ‘F**k Buddy’ shirt while playing volleyball at his mansion in the Bahamas[/caption]
WLS-TVMichael Jackson is said to have visited Nygard Cay[/caption]
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