The Tribune

BAHAMAS police are investigating six allegations of rape made against Canadian fashion tycoon Peter Nygard.

The Tribune understands the women all came forward to police in July to make formal complaints that Nygard sexually assaulted and raped them when they were all under 16.

All the incidents are alleged to have occurred at Nygard’s luxury Mayan-style mansion at Lyford Cay.

Sources close to the women told The Tribune they are keen the women are given their chance to see Nygard in court to answer for his alleged crimes.

Already, however, they fear Nygard and his associates – who somehow have learned the full details of the allegations – may attempt to persuade the women to change their stories.

Sources have detailed accounts of what went on behind the walls of Nygard’s home at infamous pamper parties’ held there every Sunday whenever he was in town when sometimes more than 100 girls attended by invitation only through Facebook or by direct solicitation by Nygard’s employees.

Sources have also recounted that the complaints to Police allege many of the girls were given drugs at the parties and – especially underage girls – forced to have sex.

The Tribune understands that some of the victims who have laid complaints with the police have been approached by people – including a policeman – on behalf of Nygard to change their stories.

However, none of the six victims who made their complaints to police in July have retracted a single word of their allegations.

Police were first made aware serious claims were being made about Nygard as early as March this year but it was only four months later the formal complaints were lodged.

The girls’ lawyers fear these six women may just be the tip of the iceberg and that over the years the “pamper parties” were staged dozens more women were subjected to assaults by Nygard.

One complaint goes back to the year 2000 and the newest to just three years ago in 2016.

Common to many of the women’s stories is that in addition to being “recruited” via Facebook to attend the parties Nygard or his employees would approach girls at his store in Marathon Mall. The girls would be told they were “beautiful and could be a model” and then invited to the the “pamper parties” to meet Nygard.

Once they were at Nygard’s home the victims have told how they were quickly offered alcohol and “little blue pills” – which lawyers believe may have been the date-rape drug rohypnol.

Victims recall feeling unable to control their bodies, aware of their surroundings – that they are being raped but can physically do nothing to resist or stop it.

Lawyers believe the rape investigation may play a large part in Nygard’s reluctance to return to The Bahamas where he has just been given a three-month sentence and heavy fine for contempt of court which he is now appealing. His fear, they believe, is that while he would be immediately arrested on arrival he would also be passed over to detectives for questioning on the rape allegations.

In a New York court earlier this month Nygard and his lawyers claimed there was a widespread conspiracy against him orchestrated by his billionaire rival, Louis Bacon.

Documents filed claimed Bacon– through Fred Smith, QC, and others, including The New York Times – were paying women to make damning allegations against him regarding his sexual behaviour.

Some Nygard critics believe this “conspiracy theory” was floated in an attempt to stall a nine-month investigation by The New York Times which had collated a number of interviews with women said to have told similar stories about Nygard and aspects of his private life.

The paper is understood to have started to submit questions to Nygard when he suddenly ran to court claiming all the women’s stories were fabricated and had been paid for.

Lawyers for the women who have made complaints to Bahamas Police fear these women may now be targeted by Nygard and paid to recant their complaints.