Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard has requested bail as he appeals his sexual assault convictions in Toronto and the prison sentence he received last month. The Ontario Court of Appeal says a motion to grant bail pending the appeal was heard Wednesday but the judge’s decision has yet to be released. The notice of appeal Nygard’s lawyers filed in court last month argues that the trial judge made several errors, including admitting the testimony of clinical psychologist Lori Haskell on the effects of trauma.
The court filing also argues that Nygard’s 11-year sentence is excessive considering the 83-year-old’s “severe” frailty. Nygard was convicted of four counts of sexual assault last year after multiple women came forward with allegations dating from the 1980s until the mid-2000s. Even though he was sentenced to 11 years, the trial judge said Nygard’s time behind bars would work out to a little less than seven years after accounting for time already spent in custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2024..