Prince Andrew’s tycoon pal Peter Nygard jailed as judge brands him ‘sexual predator’

Prince Andrew’s tycoon pal Peter Nygard has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexually assaulting four women.

The Canadian fashion mogul is the second friend of the Duke of York to have been put behind bars for sex offences after Jeffrey Epstein was jailed in 2008. The judge sentencing Nygard called the 83-year-old a “sexual predator.”

Prince Andrew, 64, was pictured with the fashion guru at the designer’s palatial home in the Bahamas. According to reports, the Duke stopped over at the sprawling property, which included 12 themed cabanas, an aquarium, a helipad, and a casino, with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson in 2000.

Yesterday, Justice Robert Goldstein said Nygard showed no empathy for his victims, who were all attacked in his company’s offices. The judge said one of several aggravating factors in the case was the fact that one of the victims was just 16 years old at the time. Nygard was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault in November but acquitted of a fifth count as well as one count of forcible confinement.

He faces separate sexual assault and sex trafficking charges in Montreal, Winnipeg and the US. He has denied all allegations against him. Nygard, who once led a women’s fashion empire, arrived at the courthouse in a wheelchair and did not address the court when given the opportunity.

After accounting for time served, his time behind bars will be slightly less than seven years. He will be eligible to apply for parole in two years. The charges against Nygard stemmed from allegations dating to the 1980s until the mid-2000s.

During his trial, five women – whose identities are protected – testified they were invited to Nygard’s Toronto business headquarters under pretexts ranging from tours to job interviews. All the encounters ended in a top-floor bedroom suite where four of the women were sexually assaulted.

Multiple women told the jury similar stories of meeting Nygard on a plane, at an airport tarmac, or at a nightclub and then receiving invitations to his headquarters. All five women said their meetings or interactions with him ended with sexual activity that they did not consent to.

Nygard’s lawyer had argued for a six-year sentence, citing her client’s age and poor health, while the Crown sought a sentence of 15 years. The judge dismissed the argument for a shorter sentence, saying that Nygard has been receiving special treatment in custody due to his various health issues and that his advanced age is not reason enough to limit the sentence.