Mohammed Al Fayed: Allegations of rape by former Harrods workers

The existent owners of the celebrated section store expressed being “completely shocked” by the claims and issued an apology to the victims. Meanwhile, Bruce Drummond, a lawyer representing respective of the women, spoke of a precise acheronian web of corruption and maltreatment wrong the company.

“He was actively cultivating fear”

The incidents reportedly took spot successful London, Paris, St. Tropez and Abu Dhabi.

One of the women who reported that al Fayed raped her successful his Park Lane flat made it wide that she did not springiness her consent and was wide that she did not privation determination to beryllium a intersexual act.

Another pistillate says she was a teen erstwhile the past Harrods brag raped her successful Mayfair and states that al Fayed was a monster, with nary motivation compass, who actively cultivated fearfulness successful workers.

The erstwhile proprietor of Harrods faced allegations of intersexual battle successful his beingness before. The BBC believes the caller revelations are of unprecedented standard and severity and estimates that adjacent much women whitethorn person been assaulted.

“He was miserable”

Al Fayed, who died successful 2023 astatine the property of 94, began his concern vocation successful Egypt and moved to the United Kingdom successful 1974. His matrimony to the sister of a millionaire Saudi arms trader helped him marque connections and physique his concern empire.

In the mid-1980s helium bought Harrods. Through his tv appearances helium became known to the wide public. He gained adjacent much publicity aft the decease of his lad Dodi with Princess Diana. In the fashionable Netflix bid “The Crown”, the billionaire is portrayed successful a affirmative mode that contradicts the complaints of women.

“He was miserable,” says 1 of the women, Sophia, who worked arsenic his idiosyncratic adjunct from 1988 to 1991 and who says helium tried to rape her much than once.

Several testimonies, immoderate fixed anonymously, uncover a signifier of predatory behaviour and intersexual maltreatment by Al Fayed, who erstwhile helium owned Harrods regularly went to the immense income floors and spotted young women helium recovered attractive. He would past beforehand them to enactment successful his offices upstairs, erstwhile employees say.

“He raped me”

Another pistillate was moving arsenic a idiosyncratic adjunct astatine Harrods successful the 1990s erstwhile she was invited to his luxury Park Lane flat with a Hyde Park theme. Going into descriptions of the incident, the pistillate describes what happened. “He raped me,” she says.

The BBC spoke to 13 women who allege the billionaire sexually assaulted them successful his home. Four of them accidental they were victims of rape.

Gemma, who worked arsenic al Fayed’s idiosyncratic adjunct betwixt 2007-2009, claims that during concern trips overseas his behaviour became adjacent much frightening. She says helium was raped successful Paris, astatine the villa wherever King Edward VIII and his woman Wallis Simpson stayed aft his abdication from the British throne.

Eight different women person besides said they were sexually assaulted by Al Fayed astatine his homes successful Paris. Of those, 5 person claimed attempted rape.

“Common Secret”

The maltreatment of women appears to person been a communal secret, arsenic erstwhile employees admit. However, immoderate of them accidental they were unaware of the intersexual assaults oregon rapes.

Former employees accidental that erstwhile they started moving straight for Al Fayed they were subjected to aesculapian examinations, including invasive intersexual wellness screenings, which was presented to them arsenic a privilege.

The women talk of a civilization of fearfulness successful the section store, starting with the lowest ranking worker and moving up to the highest ranking employee. Some believed that Harrods’ phones were tapped and that women felt acrophobic to speech to each different astir Al Fayed’s abuse, arsenic they believed they were being recorded by hidden cameras.

Former lawman manager of security, Eamon Coyle, confirmed their fears, explaining that portion of his occupation was listening to the tapes of the recorded calls. Cameras had been installed passim the store, including successful the enforcement suites. “He was watching everyone helium wanted to watch,” helium said.

In a statement, the existent Harrods absorption condemned Al Fayed’s actions successful the strongest imaginable presumption and assured that today, the organisation is precise antithetic from the 1 the billionaire ran until 2010.

Efforts to exposure him

There person been respective attempts successful the past to bring Al Fayed’s actions to light. The Vanity Fair, successful a 1995 article, cited racism, unit surveillance and sexually inappropriate behavior. The mag was sued for libel. Mohammed Al Fayed aboriginal agreed to driblet the lawsuit arsenic agelong arsenic each further grounds the mag had gathered astir his intersexual misconduct was locked up successful mentation for a trial. The colony was negotiated by a elder Harrods executive.

Serious allegations were hosted by ITV’s The Big Story successful 1997.

One of the women who spoke to the BBC said that successful 2008 she was 15 years aged and reported being assaulted. Her ailment made headlines but did not pb to charges against Al Fayed.

In 2017, Channel 4’s Dispatches broadcast allegations of intersexual battle and harassment, with 1 pistillate waiving her close to anonymity for the archetypal time. This gave immoderate women the courageousness to talk retired – and was followed by an probe successful 2018 connected Channel 4 News.

But galore women lone felt capable to talk retired publically aft Mohammed Al Fayed’s death.

 

Counts and confidentiality agreement

The BBC documentary reveals that successful 2009, a woman, arsenic portion of the settlement, had to motion a non-disclosure statement (NDA), which is simply a legally binding declaration that ensures accusation remains confidential.

The pistillate near her occupation owed to intersexual harassment, nevertheless she was past incapable to disclose the severity of Al Fayed’s assaults. Harrods paid her a sum of wealth successful instrumentality for her destroying each grounds and signing the confidentiality agreement. Present astatine the signing of the statement was a subordinate of the section store’s quality resources team.

Lawsuits for damages against Harrods were filed by 14 women. The existent owners, who did not inquire the women to motion a confidentiality agreement, began settling them successful July 2023.

Many women are present considering taking ineligible enactment against the business. Two attorneys representing immoderate of these women reason that the store was liable for the information of its employees and failed. In fact, thing was done to forestall the intersexual assaults. Instead, determination were wide attempts by elder managers to expanse the allegations nether the rug. Now, respective women mean to instrumentality ineligible action

Harrods told the BBC: “Since 2023 erstwhile caller accusation astir historical allegations of intersexual maltreatment by Al Fayed came to light, it has been our precedence to settee the claims arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. This process is inactive disposable to immoderate existent oregon erstwhile Harrods employee. While we cannot undo the past, we were determined to bash the close happening arsenic an organisation, guided by the values we basal for today, portion ensuring that specified behaviours tin ne'er beryllium repeated successful the future.”