Witness at Peter Nygard's sexual-assault trial describes bedroom suite at Toronto HQ
Jurors at the sexual-assault trial of former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard are hearing more about the layout of his Toronto office building, which housed a private bedroom suite where he allegedly forced himself on women.
Nygard, the founder of a now-defunct international women's clothing company, is being accused by the Crown of using his position in the fashion industry to lure women and girls.
The 82-year-old has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement in alleged incidents ranging from the '80s to mid-2000s.
David Gauthier, who used to work for Nygard doing construction and design work, testified today that one door inside Nygard's private bedroom suite could only be opened by pushing a button next to it, while another could only be unlocked by a control panel near a large bed.
The Crown has said in its opening arguments at trial that all five complainants in the case are expected to allege that they were taken to the bedroom suite on separate occasions and were sexually assaulted.
Nygard founded Nygard International in Winnipeg in 1967, and stepped down as chairman of the clothing company in February 2020 before it filed for bankruptcy.
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