Late Harrods Owner Mohamed Al Fayed Accused Of Sexual Assault By 37 Women

Mohamed Al Fayed, the late billionaire and former owner of London’s iconic Harrods department store, has been posthumously accused of sexual assault by 37 women, including allegations of rape. The Egyptian-born tycoon, who died in August 2023 at age 94, is being described by his accusers as a “predator” and a “monster.”

At a news conference in London on Friday, lawyer Bruce Drummond revealed that the alleged assaults spanned over 25 years. The accusers include six Americans, and five women claim Al Fayed raped them while they worked for him at Harrods. Some victims were reportedly as young as 15 and 16 years old.

“Many women dreamed of working there to be associated with this prestigious corporation,” said Gloria Allred, a prominent women’s rights advocate and attorney representing several of the victims. “But beneath the glitz and glamour was a toxic, unsafe, and abusive environment.”

According to the allegations, Al Fayed’s actions were part of a long-standing system of sexual abuse that was kept hidden through threats and intimidation. Some victims claimed they were subjected to surveillance and phone tapping to prevent them from speaking out. One accuser, identified as Natacha, recounted how she was escorted by Al Fayed’s security to his private sitting room, where she was sexually assaulted.

“He knew where my family lived. I felt scared and sick,” said Natacha, who appeared at the news conference but withheld her full name for privacy reasons.

Al Fayed’s behavior, lawyers claim, was an open secret at Harrods, with the store accused of enabling his misconduct. It is alleged that a “procurement system” was in place to recruit women and girls for him, with some employees even forced to undergo invasive medical exams as a condition of their employment.

Although police investigated several allegations of harassment and assault during Al Fayed’s lifetime, no charges were brought against him. He consistently denied the accusations.

Harrods, which Al Fayed sold in 2010, is now owned by the Qatar Investment Authority. The company expressed shock and condemnation at the allegations, issuing a statement through the BBC: “We are utterly appalled by the allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed and sincerely apologize to the women who were failed by the business.”

Lawyer Dean Armstrong, also representing the victims, compared the case to high-profile abuse scandals involving figures such as Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein, and Harvey Weinstein. “This is and was a systematic failure of corporate responsibility,” Armstrong said. “Al Fayed was a monster enabled by the system.”