Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard will not face any charges in Winnipeg after a months-long police investigation into allegations of sexual assault by eight women in the city.
Eight files were referred by the Winnipeg Police Service to the Crown prosecutor’s office for review in December 2020 and now a year later, police say charges will not move forward.
Winnipeg police said specialized investigators worked through 15 separate files.
“Some of the victims did not want to be involved in criminal proceedings,” Chief Danny Smyth said in a statement.
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Smyth said 29 witnesses were interviewed, including survivors, and approximately 1,600 documents were compiled over the 10 month investigation.
He added that 17 agencies and therapy professionals were also contacted.
By the end of the investigation, eight cases were submitted to Manitoba Justice for consideration.
However, crown attorneys will not be laying any charges.
“After review, they declined to authorize criminal charges against Mr. Nygard,” Smyth said.
No reasons have been given for why charges will not move foward.
“We understand the courage required of any survivor of sexual assault to come forward. We acknowledge and respect the decisions made by justice officials, and at times by survivors themselves, not to proceed with criminal proceedings,” he said.
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Nygard is currently in custody in Toronto where he was flown from Winnipeg in October to face charges there.
Earlier that month an arrest warrant was issued by Toronto police for Nygard amid allegations of sexual assault and forcible confinement. The alleged incidents occurred between 1987 and 2006.
Police said at the time that the 80-year-old will be charged with six counts of sexual assault and three counts of forcible confinement upon arrest.
The Toronto Police Service announced the warrant on the same day Nygard appeared in a Winnipeg courtroom and agreed to be extradited to the US to face sex trafficking charges there.
Outside court that day, his lawyer Brian Greenspan said, “Mr. Nygard denies any allegation of criminal conduct.”
None have been tested in court as of yet.