The Crown Attorney in Peter Nygard’s Sexual Assault Trial Raises Questions About Inconsistencies

The Crown attorney in Peter Nygard’s sexual assault trial is suggesting there are inconsistencies in what the former fashion mogul has said to police and in court.

Neville Golwalla said in his cross-examination today that Nygard initially told a Toronto police detective that he did not recall going to a Gatineau, Que., club in the late 1980s, where one of the complainants in the trial said she met him.

The Crown attorney suggested that Nygard only said that he was there once the detective showed him a photo from the event, but Nygard replied that the photo helped refresh his memory.

The 82-year-old founder of a now-defunct women’s clothing company has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement in alleged incidents ranging from the 1980s to mid-2000s.

Multiple complainants in the trial have alleged they were taken to Nygard’s Toronto headquarters under pretences ranging from tours to job interviews, with encounters ending in a top-floor bedroom suite where they allege they were sexually assaulted.

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Nygard denied those allegations as he testified in his own defence last week, and said he has never done the things the five complainants have accused him of.

Nygard testified yesterday that he went into the October 2021 interview with “nothing to hide” from police, but could not recall several details of that conversation when questioned about them in court.