Police Investigating ‘Enablers’ of Alleged Al Fayed Abuse

The late former Harrods and Fulham FC owner Mohamed Al Fayed in an undated file photo. PA

Police have launched an investigation into more than five people who may have “facilitated” former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed in his alleged sexual abuse of dozens of women and girls over four decades.

Detectives are looking at individuals who were associates of the businessman who could have enabled him to commit offences which are claimed to have been carried out between 1977 and 2014.

An internal review is also underway into how the Metropolitan Police handled complaints about Al Fayed during his lifetime, with no charges ever brought against the Egyptian-born billionaire despite multiple reports of alleged crimes, including rape and sexual assault.

Since the latest publicity around the case, 90 more women have contacted the Met to say they were also victims of the tycoon, who died in 2023 at the age of 94.

Alleged Victims as Young as 13

These complainants are in addition to the 21 alleged victims who had previously contacted the force. The youngest of the latest 90 is thought to have been 13 years old at the time she was reportedly abused.

Commander Stephen Clayman said in a statement: “I recognise the bravery of every victim-survivor who has come forward to share their experiences, often after years of silence.

“This investigation is about giving survivors a voice, despite the fact that Mohamed Al Fayed is no longer alive to face prosecution.

“However, we are now pursuing any individuals suspected to have been complicit in his offending and we are committed to seeking justice.”

He added that the force is aware that “past events” may have impacted the public’s “trust and confidence” in its approach to handling such allegations, and that the Met is committed to investigate with “integrity and thoroughness.”

He also appealed for any further victims to come forward, saying, “Your voice matters and we are here to listen and to help.”

Charges Never Brought

Two complaints have been made about allegations of sexual offending by Al Fayed that were made to the force in 2008.

Investigators twice sent files for a charging decision to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS); once in 2008 relating to three victims and again in 2015 linked to one other.

On another three occasions—in 2018, 2021, and 2023—the CPS was asked for early investigative advice, but the complaints were not pursued further by police.

The Harrods department store in Westminster, London, in an undated file photo. Copyright visitlondon.com/Antoine Buchet

Emma Jones, partner at Leigh Day, the law firm representing clients affected by the Al Fayed scandal, told the PA news agency: “We note the widening of the police investigation to cover those who facilitated Al Fayed’s abuse, although the news offers too little too late to survivors.

“The fact that the Metropolitan Police has also referred cases to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in relation to the scandal raises serious concerns about accountability.”

The IOPC is an independent watchdog which oversees the handling of complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.

“By referring their own cases, the police are effectively marking their own homework, which is unlikely to inspire public confidence or deliver the level of transparency and scrutiny this case demands,” Jones added.

She said that her clients were pushing for a full public inquiry into how the alleged abuse was allowed to continue for decades, even after multiple complainants had raised the alarm.

When he died last August, Al Fayed’s wealth was estimated by Forbes to be $2 billion.

In 2010, he sold Harrods, which he had owned since 1985, to the Qatari royal family for £1.5 billion.

Harrods Settling Cases

In July 2023, Harrods began settling claims out of court with former employees who came forward with allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of Al Fayed, with non-disclosure agreements forming part of the settlements.

A separate legal team acting for some of the alleged victims said in October that the allegations combine “some of the most horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein, and Harvey Weinstein.”

The lawyers, working under the banner Justice for Harrods Survivors (JHS) are seeking damages on behalf of their clients, claiming that the luxury department store not only failed to protect its employees over the course of many years, but “enabled” and covered up the alleged crimes of its former owner.

U.S. lawyer Gloria Allred, who is working with JHS and has previously represented victims of high profile abusers including Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein, told a press conference that Harrods was a “toxic, unsafe, and abusive environment” under the ownership of Al Fayed, whose business interests were centred on London since the mid 1960s.

Allred said said that some of the various allegations against the billionaire involved other people.

“They involved doctors administering invasive gynaecological exams as a condition of employment for some of the employees who were targeted by Mohamed Al Fayed for sexual abuse,” she said.

The team of lawyers Allred is working with are not pursuing a class action and will instead focus on individual claims against Harrods on behalf of each of their clients.