Toronto police to charge Peter Nygard with sexual assault, forcible confinement

TORONTO -

Toronto police say they will lay multiple historic sexual assault charges against former fashion mogul Peter Nygard in connection with alleged offences dating as far back as the 1980s.

In a news release issued Friday, Toronto police say members of the human trafficking enforcement team secured an arrest warrant for 80-year-old Nygard on Wednesday.

Toronto police say Nygard, who is already facing sex trafficking and racketeering charges in the United States, will face six new sexual assault charges and three counts of forcible confinement upon arrest.

Investigators in Toronto allege Nygard forcibly confined and sexually assaulted a woman between October 1987 and November 1987. They allege he sexually assaulted and forcibly confined a woman again between November 1988 and February 1989, and on two other occasions between April 1988 and September 1988 as well between January 2005 and March 2005.

Police also allege that Nygard sexually assaulted a woman on Dec. 3, 1989 and another woman between November 2005 and March 2006.

Nygard’s lawyer Brian Greenspan told reporters Friday that he believes the Toronto allegations relate to six different complainants.

In a Winnipeg courtroom on Friday, Nygard consented to being extradited to the United States to face charges in the Southern District of New York.

• MORE: Peter Nygard consents to extradition to United States

When asked about the charges in Toronto, Greenspan said a decision has not yet been made as to whether his client will be extradited to the U.S. first and then returned to Canada to face charges here.

"The minister will have to make a decision as to whether or not he will await the outcome of the Canadian charges before he extradites or whether or not he will seek assurances from the United States that once they deal with the charges in the United States, they will expeditiously return him to Toronto under transfer of prisoner treaty or some of the mutual legal assistance treaties we have with the United States and that once that they have dealt with him there, he will be returned to Toronto," Greenspan said.

"Those are two options that the minister has, whoever the minister might be because right now we don't have a Minister of Justice."

He added that Nygard denies "any allegations of criminal conduct."

"He denies any suggestion that he engaged in conduct for which he should be charged criminally," Greenspan said.

Nygard will remain in Manitoba while he awaits the justice minister's decision, his lawyers confirmed Friday.

-With files from the Canadian Press