Al Fayed enablers 'must face accountability', survivors say

Two women who were abused by former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed have called for the "network" of people who they claim enabled his behaviour to "face justice".

Multiple women have accused Al Fayed of rape and sexual assault, which they say spanned decades.

Speaking publicly for the first time, one survivor - named as Sarah to protect her identity - told BBC London that she wanted to see a public inquiry into how he was able to "groom" young women in plain sight.

The Metropolitan Police, which has interviewed four suspects under caution, said it had broadened its inquiry to cover alleged human trafficking.

Sarah said she had thought it was "her lucky day" when she was introduced to Mohamed Al Fayed during her job interview to work at the luxury department store.

At 18 years old, she was surprised when he asked if she had a boyfriend, before giving her money to spend on work clothes. She was later told to pick out a handbag "up to the value of £1,000".

"I mean, even now, to me, that was just an obscene amount of money to be able to just go and spend on a handbag. But we walked down to luxury handbags on the ground floor. I chose a handbag, and it was then charged to the chairman's account.

"And this was quite common practise of people, young girls, being gifted with things and charging it to his account."

She now sees this was a "process of grooming".

Another survivor Jane, which is not her real name, said Al Fayed had kissed her on the cheek at her job interview, asked her if she had a boyfriend and gave her cash to spend on work clothes.

Both women spoke to BBC London separately, but gave very similar descriptions of being picked out from the shop floor to work closely with Al Fayed and then told they would have to undergo medical examinations.

Sarah said her examination had included a cervical smear test which left her feeling "mortified".

Many of the women who say they were assaulted while working for the luxury department store have said that they underwent medicals, including invasive sexual health tests.

Sarah said Al Fayed's abuse began after she went to work in his offices.

"It would start with an inappropriate hug, an inappropriate kiss on the cheek, and I just remember feeling like, you almost freeze in those instances when you think, 'oh this is a bit weird, I don't know what to do'."

Jane said Al Fayed's behaviour had escalated, making her feel "more and more uncomfortable to the point where I was looking for excuses not to go into his office".

She added: "I didn't know what was going to happen next. I was terrified."

Both women said they had raised concerns with Harrods at the time, but were not taken seriously.

Sarah said the member of staff she had reported the abuse to did not seem surprised, but appeared to be angry with her.

She said: "They were like, 'you silly girl. Why did you let this happen?'"

Jane said when she shared her concerns that she was "frightened" of Al Fayed, she was told the "rumours were not true" and she had nothing to worry about.

"I felt so trapped and so unsure of how to handle the situation that I just didn't know what to do," she said.

"I tried to talk to someone about it and I was told that it was all in my head."

She said she had been warned not to speak to anyone else about what happened.

Al Fayed, who owned Harrods between 1985 and 2010, and died in 2023 aged 94.

The extent of the businessman's predatory behaviour was revealed in a BBC documentary and podcast, Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods, which was broadcast in September 2024.

Sarah and Jane say they now want to see those who they believe enabled him to carry out his abuse to face justice.

"Obviously he's no longer here so we aren't able to keep him accountable," said Sarah.

"But there was a very organised system of people and process in place around him that allowed this to happen and we were not kept safe."

The Metropolitan Police said 154 victims had come forward reporting allegations of sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

It has interviewed three women, aged in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and one man in his 60s under caution.

It said the scope of its investigation had broadened and included the offence of human trafficking.

Both women welcomed the expansion of the police inquiry, but expressed frustration it had not happened earlier, saying the investigation was "painfully slow".

Harrods says more than 220 survivors have "engaged" with its compensation scheme, which is now closed to new submissions, and it has made payments to more than 70 so far.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: "The intention of the Harrods redress scheme has been to support survivors of the despicable sexual abuse perpetrated by Fayed, for which we have accepted vicarious liability and utterly condemn."

Tom Fletcher, a specialist lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, which is supporting some victims including Sarah and Jane, said the scheme was there for "survivors who perhaps want a more swift conclusion to proceedings, to limit re-traumatisation".

He said it would not be "appropriate" for everybody.

"There are those survivors out there that of course want that extra level of accountability and justice perhaps that the scheme doesn't provide," he said.

He added he was representing women from "across the world" including the US, New Zealand and South Africa.

Harrods told BBC London the independent external investigation it had established into whether any current employees knew about the alleged abuse was concluding.

It confirmed, in relation to action taken by Harrods, one employee left the business last year.

Sarah said she wanted a public inquiry.

"I think it would go a step further into giving the survivors a voice, making their stories believed," she said.

"I don't feel Harrods has gone far enough yet in terms of the accountability side of things and I feel like that there needs to be more transparency throughout this process."

However, Jane expressed fears that a public inquiry could be a waste of public money.

"I think that rich, powerful individuals will be protected and they won't be held fully accountable. I would love for it all to be exposed, but I just don't think we'll ever get that.

"I hope that the police do robustly investigate people who were working in the organisation at the time who supported what he was doing and I hope that those people are held accountable, but I'm not holding my breath."