What we know about Mohammed Al Fayed rape claims and alleged cover-up

Harriet Sinclair
File photo dated 12-01-2013 of Mohamed Al Fayed. Harrods owner Al Fayed ploughed his money into lower-league outfit Fulham in 1997 with the lofty ambition of leading them to the top flight for the first time since the 60s. Issue date: Thursday December 14, 2023.
Mohammed Al Fayed has been accused of assault and physical violence against more than 20 women, including five allegations of rape. (PA) (Daniel Hambury, PA Images)

A lawyer for survivors who have accused the late Mohamed Al Fayed of sexual abuse said he had "never seen a case as horrific as this".

Speaking at a press conference on Friday morning, Dean Armstrong KC, representing the survivors, said: "We will say it plainly - Mohamed Al Fayed was a monster. He was a monster. But he was a monster enabled by a system, a system that pervaded Harrods."

The press conference came following a BBC documentary about former Harrods boss Al Fayed that aired on Thursday evening, in which survivors claimed they had been raped, trafficked and assaulted by the billionaire - and that Harrods covered up the abuse.

Armstrong said the case of Al Fayed “combines some of the most horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein”. He said: “I have many years of practice… I have never seen a case as horrific as this."

He quoted the BBC documentary in which a manager alleged that anyone who said they did not know what was happening "was lying", and said the survivors were claiming "a failure of corporate responsibility" by the Knightsbridge department store.

He added: "We welcome the admission at the end of the programme that they had ‘failed these women’. However, they also claim that they didn’t know about Al Fayed's behaviour until 2023. We will say it plainly - that is simply not true."

Al Fayed sold Harrods in 2010, and it is currently owned by the Qatar Investment Authority.

The legal team, (left to right) barrister Bruce Drummond, Dean Armstrong KC, attorney Gloria Allred, Natacha and barrister Maria Mulla, who featured in 'Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods' during a press conference to discuss their involvement in the investigation and the legal claim against Harrods for failing to provide a safe system of work for their employees, at Kent House in Knightsbridge, London. Picture date: Friday September 20, 2024.
Bbarrister Bruce Drummond, Dean Armstrong KC, attorney Gloria Allred, one of Al Fayed's accusers named Natacha and barrister Maria Mulla, at a press conversation discussing the allegations. (Alamy). (Yui Mok, PA Images)

The BBC has said it has spoken to 21 alleged victims so far. Thirteen reported being sexually assaulted in Al Fayed's Park Lane apartment in London, with four saying they were raped. Eight said they were assaulted in Paris.

Armstrong told the press conference that the legal team has been retained by 37 accusers and is “in the process of being retained by many more”.

The BBC investigation is not the first time Al Fayed’s alleged sexual misconduct has been in the spotlight. He was the subject of pieces by Vanity Fair in 1995, ITV in 1997 and Channel 4 in 2017 and 2018.

In 2009, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), then led by Sir Keir Starmer, elected not to prosecute Al Fayed following claims he had sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in Harrods. A 2015 police investigation did not lead to any charges.

The legal team representing many of Al Fayed’s accusers includes barristers Dean Armstrong, Maria Mulla, Bruce Drummond and Gloria Allred, a renowned US lawyer and women’s rights advocate. Armstrong said they will work to ensure Harrods “take responsibility” and “set matters right”.

Allred said the allegations against Al Fayed include serial rape, attempted rape, sexual battery, and sexual abuse of minors.

Mulla also confirmed employees at other businesses owned by Al Fayed have made allegations. “We also represent women who were employed by the Ritz [the Paris hotel he owned]."

The lawyers said they are investigating Fulham Football Club and other companies owned by the late billionaire.

Meanwhile, the legal team is "not aware" of any executive staff from Al Fayed’s time at Harrods still working for the company.

In a statement addressing the allegations, Harrods has said: “We are utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed Al Fayed. These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms. We also acknowledge that during this time as a business we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise.

“The Harrods of today is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010; it is one that seeks to put the welfare of our employees at the heart of everything we do.

“This is why, since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved. This process is still available for any current or former Harrods employees.

“While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organisation, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behaviour can never be repeated in the future.”

In a separate statement, a Harrods spokesperson told Yahoo News: "For the purpose of settling the claims that have been brought to Harrods’ attention since 2023, we have accepted vicarious liability for the conduct of Al Fayed.

"Harrods has reached settlements with the vast majority of people who have approached us since 2023 using the process that has been set up to handle these claims. This process remains available here: response.harrods.com

"There are no NDA’s attached to these settlements and Harrods would not seek to enforce any NDA’s that relate to alleged sexual abuse by Al Fayed that were entered into during the period of his ownership.

"Harrods has received new enquiries since the broadcast which we will deal with swiftly and carefully."

The full extent of Al Fayed’s alleged crimes is not known. The BBC has said it believes many more women may have been assaulted. Lawyers representing the alleged victims have set up a “Harrods Survivors” website as a point of contact for any others who wish to come forward. Harrods has also set up its own “response” page.

It is not known what - if any - action Harrods took in response to previous allegations against Al Fayed, though barrister Bruce Drummond told the press conference “we say beyond peradventure that those who controlled Harrods knew of Mohamed Al Fayed’s inappropriate behaviour”.

Meanwhile, the full extent of police probes into Al Fayed's alleged crimes is not known, a point made by Armstrong. "It is clear, and was clear from the documentary, that the police were involved… in this case. The extent of their involvement, unsurprisingly, I’m not privy to. But we know that a complaint was made [by a 15-year-old girl against Al Fayed]." He added he was not criticising the police.

It is also not known how much money is being sought from Harrods. The company said "it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible" and Armstrong said compensation would be “welcome” - while adding "we are not going to sit here and accept any suggestion that we are only interested in money. This is about much, much, much more.”

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