Comment on the picture, Police urged anyone with allegations against Al-Fayed to contact them
- Author, Andre Rodin-Paul and Daniel de Simone
- role, BBC
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12 minutes ago
British police registered 40 new allegations from women who accused the former owner of the famous department store Harrods, Mohamed Al-Fayed, of “sexual assault and rape”.
The new costs cover a period between 1979 and 2013.
The allegations follow a BBC documentary and podcast which heard testimonies from former female employees at Harrods who accused the billionaire of sexually assaulting them or they forced them.
Police urged anyone with allegations against Al-Fayed to report them, and said they would review their complaints and dates.
Since the documentary first aired, a further 65 women have contacted the BBC and said they were harassed by Mohamed Al Fayed, with allegations dating back even earlier than Harrods, going back to 1977.
Al-Fayed, who died aged 94 in 2023, bought the luxury store in 1985 and sold it in 2010.
The British Metropolitan Police said the 40 new charges are in addition to the 21 charges they were aware of before the BBC documentary was shown.
Although Al-Fayed is unlikely to be convicted, the Metropolitan Police said they are continuing to investigate whether others could be charged with any offences.
image source, Reuters
Comment on the picture, Harrods’ current owners said they were “shocked” by the allegations
Police Chief Stephen Klayman said: “Since the screening of the documentary and our recent appeal, investigators have received a number of pieces of information, particularly relating to the activities of Mohamed Al Fayed, but some relating to actions taken by others.
Police are continuing to appeal to anyone who was a victim of Al-Fayed or who has information about those who “facilitated his crimes.”
She said that a full investigation into the previous allegations was underway, and that she had identified 21 allegations that the police were aware of before the BBC documentary was shown.
Last month, the BBC heard the testimonies of more than 20 former Harrods employees who accused the billionaire of sexual assault and rape.
A BBC documentary and podcast, Al-Fayed: Lurking at Harrods, gathered evidence that not only did Harrods, while under Al-Fayed’s ownership, fail to intervene to help victims help, but he helped cover up sexual assault allegations.
The current owners of Harrods said they were “horrified” by the allegations, and stressed that Al-Fayed’s victims had been let down.
The store is under independent review starting in 2023.
Comment on the picture, Al-Fayed had bought the luxury store in 1985 and sold it in 2010
Since the documentary aired, dozens of women have contacted the BBC to say they were harassed by Al-Fayed.
Around 65 women contacted the BBC and spoke of being harassed, with allegations extending beyond Harrods and dating back to 1977.
They pointed out that Al-Fayed used a variety of methods of abuse, and that he targeted women who were not specifically his employees.
Women interviewed by the BBC said they were hired by Al-Fayed under false pretenses to work as part of the billionaire’s private family, and were sexually exploited, including at home his great in Oxted.
The Police Investigation Authority, an office which oversees future police behaviour, told the BBC that it had asked the Metropolitan Police if there was anything that needed to be sent to it for investigation.
A spokesman for the authority said: “Following the documentary on Mohamed Al Fayed, we contacted the Metropolitan Police Service to find out if they had received any relevant complaints or if they had identified any behavioral issues that ‘ the Independent Police Conduct Office had to be contacted. “
The Metropolitan Police are carrying out a review, and the watchdog has not yet been informed of the handling of the allegations, the spokesman said.
