Since the damning documentary was aired BBC documentary, lawyers representing those who were sexually assaulted by Mohamed Al Fayed They say they have received “more than 150 enquiries” from survivors and people with evidence against the former Harrods owner.
And now another alleged victim has bravely shared her story.
Margot McCuaig, award-winning documentary filmmaker and novelist, said: “Reading about this monster, Al-Fayed, reminds me of the moment I first met him.”
While presenting for Celtic TV at Craven Cottage in Fulham, she alleged the Egyptian businessman “put his hands on me”.
But the disturbing interaction continued. McCuaig recalls Al Fayed telling him: “Come to my attic and I’ll show you my pyramid.”
“It’s absolutely crazy,” Ms McCuaig said.
Award-winning documentary maker and novelist Margot McCuaig (right) recalled the moment she met Al-Fayed (left) in Fulham
She alleges the Egyptian businessman groped her, before telling her he would show her his “pyramid” if she came to his penthouse.
The filmmaker backed up her claims about X with a series of photographs showing Al-Fayed touching her on the arm.
Ms McCuaig, who is currently pursuing a PhD at Stirling University, looks uncomfortable as Radio 1 DJ David Hamilton looks on.
In the comments, Ms McCuaig said: “The guy in the background laughing at her rude comment shows the extent to which people around her enabled her behaviour.”
Five women have alleged they were raped by Al Fayed, the former owner of Harrods who died last year aged 94, and dozens of others have alleged sexual misconduct.
Lawyer Bruce Drummond, part of the legal team representing 37 alleged victims in a civil case against Harrods, told BBC Radio 4 on Saturday: “This is the worst case of corporate sexual exploitation of young women that I have ever seen, and I think probably the world has ever seen.”
Mr Drummond added that his legal team was working “very closely” with Gloria Allred, considered a staunch advocate for women’s rights cases in the United States, because the attacks are also alleged to have taken place in the United States.
He said some of the survivors came from Malaysia, Dubai, Canada and France, while the Ritz Hotel in Paris, once owned by Al Fayed, had also been the scene of alleged attacks.
Drummond said on the programme: “It is a very global case, it is not just about the UK. It happened all over the world.”
Ms McCuaig appears uncomfortable with the interaction as Radio 1 DJ David Hamilton (centre) looks on.
Ms McCuaig shared her story on X, formerly Twitter.
Mohamed Al Fayed, who died last year aged 94, is accused of raping and assaulting several women during his time as owner of Harrods between 1985 and 2010.
Harrods said in a statement earlier this week: “We are absolutely appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed al Fayed.
‘These were the actions of an individual who intended to abuse his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms.
‘We also recognize that during this time as a company we failed our employees who were victims and for this we sincerely apologize.
‘The Harrods of today is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Fayed between 1985 and 2010; it is one that seeks to put the wellbeing of our employees at the heart of everything we do.’
Harrods added that it had been a “priority” to resolve the claims since “new information came to light in 2023 about historical allegations of sexual abuse by Fayed”.
Commenting on that statement, Mr Drummond said it was “absolutely inconceivable” that Harrods’ current owners, the state of Qatar, could not have known about any “outstanding claims or liabilities” against the business at the time of their purchase in 2010.
Maria Mulla, another lawyer on the legal team, told Times Radio she had heard stories of women in Harrods being “shut into cupboards” when Al Fayed walked by so they “wouldn’t be seen”.
He has been accused of raping five women during his 25-year tenure at the luxury retailer (pictured), and at least 15 other women claim they were sexually assaulted by him.
Lawyers representing women who say they were sexually assaulted by Mohamed Al Fayed say they have “had more than 150 new enquiries” since the broadcast of a damning BBC documentary
Mohamed Al Fayed pictured during the unveiling of the Dodi Al Fayed and Diana memorial at Harrods
Mohamed Al Fayed pictured alongside Diana, Princess of Wales, at a charity event held at Harrods in London in 1996
His comments came as a former Harrods employee, who asked to remain anonymous, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the luxury retailer’s “enablers” were “just as guilty as Al Fayed because they were not simply passive bystanders”.
The woman, referred to in the programme as Catherine, said she worked at Harrods in a “very minor role” when she was 21.
She said: ‘They were actually helping to send girl after girl into a total nightmare.
‘I think some people should be identified and questioned about their complicity.
“This is basically psychological manipulation, as the evidence suggests, and they should face justice.”
Catherine detailed for the first time her own experience with Al Fayed, which stirred strong emotions in her, after hearing the testimonies of others this week.
“I mean it was pretty visceral, it made my blood run cold,” he said of hearing her accusations.
Catherine recalled how she had been working one weekend at a luxury department store when she was contacted by Al Fayed’s personal assistant.
‘There were some musicians who had been playing in the HMV concession. The PA got in touch with me and said, “Look, the boss is really keen to see you, but he can’t make it to the store. Could you bring them into his office to play?”
Catherine said she “followed instructions” before being asked to briefly return with the band to the dining room and then return upstairs to her office.
It was during this second moment in Al Fayed’s presence that she felt “uncomfortable.”
Mohamed Al Fayed (right) with his son Dodi at a party for the film Hook in 1992
Mohamed Al Fayed attends the Issa show during London Fashion Week Spring Summer 2015 on September 15, 2014
Gemma (pictured), who worked as his personal assistant between 2007 and 2009, says she was raped by Al Fayed during a work trip to Paris.
‘We went into a little room in the back, just him and I, and he said, ‘Come work in my office. For a year here you can be a buyer and work in fashion.’
‘I said that was great, but I’m actually very happy in the department I work in, that’s what I studied at university for.
‘He then took my hand and asked me if I had a boyfriend. I laughed politely and said yes.
He said, ‘no, you don’t have a boyfriend, I’m your boyfriend, you don’t need that donkey,’ which was weird.
‘At this point I was feeling increasingly uncomfortable. He then kissed me (on the forehead), took out his wallet and handed me £300 in cash.
‘He said, “Think about the job offer and come back next week.”
I got out of there as quickly as I could.
Catherine continued: “I know others have talked about this fatherly approach[he had]but I have boundaries. It was horrible and he was holding my hand, being so close, it wasn’t normal.”
She claims she told her male superior everything the following Monday, but “he just ignored it” and told her: “That’s just the way he is.”
Catherine returned the money that Al Fayed had given her days earlier and received “no response” from him.
She said: ‘Looking back now, there were probably hundreds of women who made the same decision as me, and thank God because, like me, they will still carry a slight, but permanent, scar from that experience at Harrods.’
Not long after, Catherine tendered her resignation and was called back to see Al Fayed.
She believed this was “an extreme reaction considering how young and replaceable I was at the time.”
However, years later, reflecting, she wondered if Al Fayed was trying to find out if she would “talk” about what happened.
Mohamed Al Fayed pictured with the Queen in 1997
Sources within Harrods have said the company has accepted vicarious liability for Al Fayed’s conduct in order to resolve claims from alleged victims brought to its attention since 2023, reaching settlements with the vast majority.
In its statement on the BBC documentary, Al-Fayed: Predator At Harrods, which aired on Thursday, Harrods said it was “a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed”.
Al Fayed was the head of Harrods from 1985 to 2010.
The retailer added that “since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, it has been our priority to resolve the claims as quickly as possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved.”
Speaking to LBC, Dean Armstrong KC, who anticipates more women coming forward, agreed that others had “enabled” Al Fayed.
He said: ‘It was the facilities and resources of the corporate entity that were being used to effectively enable this alleged behaviour.
“This is something that needs to be addressed with the utmost urgency. There has been a systematic failure of corporate responsibility.”
Armstrong added: “That systematic failure falls squarely on the shoulders of Harrods.”
