Crown suggests Nygard gave shifting accounts of locks installed in 'secret' top-floor bedroom

On the final day of the cross-examination of disgraced fashion mogul Peter Nygard, the prosecution suggested the former businessman has given shifting accounts of security measures installed in his "secret" top-floor bedroom suite, where complainants allege they were sexually assaulted.

The 82-year-old founder of a now-defunct chain of women's clothing companies pleaded not guilty in September 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 claimed they were taken to Nygard's Toronto headquarters under pretences ranging from tours to job interviews, with the encounters ending in alleged attacks in the private suite.

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During the final day of cross-examination, Crown lawyer Neville Golwalla continued with the suggestion that Nygard has given conflicting accounts throughout his court testimony last week and an 11-hour interview he completed with police in October 2021.

READ MORE: Crown suggests Peter Nygard gave inconsistent statements to police, in court testimony 

The Crown played the audio of the police interview, in which Nygard can be heard stating that a keypad lock used to secure the suite was installed on the inside of the room. However, Golwalla pointed out that during recent weeks, Nygard has maintained that the lock was on the outside – a claim echoed by complainants who allege that the exit was not obvious or accessible.

To that, Nygard said he answered the officers' questions to the best of his ability, despite dealing with "some memory issues" at the time. Throughout Thursday's proceedings, he continued to deny the suggestion that anyone would have found it difficult to exit the room and that a code was only needed to enter the room, not to leave it.

READ MORE: Peter Nygard's bedroom in his Toronto HQ shown in video played at sexual assault trial

The accused has denied the suggestion he could have lied to the Toronto police detective in 2021, stating he had “nothing to hide."

The jury is tentatively scheduled to begin deliberating on Nov. 8. They will be sequestered for the duration of those deliberations. 

Lawyer Brian Greenspan (left to right), Justice Robert Goldstein and Peter Nygard attend Nygard's sexual assault trial in Toronto on Wednesday, Oct.25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alexandra Newbould