More than sixty-five women have come forward to the BBC, claiming that Mohamed Al Fayed mistreated them; the accusations date back to 1977 and far beyond Harrods.
In the weeks following the release of the podcast and documentary Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods, these reports contain fresh information about sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape that was sent to the BBC. They allege that Al Fayed, who passed away in 2017, targeted women who worked for companies other than his own and deployed a wider variety of abusive techniques.
Several of the women who spoke with the BBC claim that they were duped into joining Al Fayed's domestic staff and that after that, the billionaire sexually abused them, even at his Oxted estate.'
Eight years before Al Fayed's Harrods purchase helped make him a household figure in the UK, a lady claims in the earliest abuse accusation the BBC has ever heard that she was beaten by him in Dubai in 1977. She claims that Al Fayed personally threatened and stalked her. According to women who worked at Harrods, he later used a group of security personnel to carry out similar intimidation techniques. Thirteen of the sixty-five women who came forward to the BBC with their stories of abuse claim to have worked at Harrods. Harrods provided the following statement in response to the BBC's questions: "Since the documentary's broadcast, more than 200 people have entered the Harrods process to resolve disputes with the business.
Background
Following an investigation by the BBC, Mohamed Al Fayed, the former owner of Harrods, a premium department store, was accused of sexual assault for decades. Several women who worked for the millionaire businessman, who passed away last year at the age of 94, have accused him of multiple charges of rape and attempted rape; many of these ladies felt unwilling to report the incidents until lately. Fulham FC, the Ritz Paris hotel, and Harrods were owned by Fayed at the time of many of the alleged attacks. He was a well-known public personality who courted both royalty and celebrities and had connections to powerful members of Parliament.
Over twenty women testified before the BBC, alleging everything from rape to sexual assault. Five reported having been raped. Most of the individuals who have contacted Harrods since 2023 have already received financial settlements, and further enquiries have been received this week. Non-disclosure agreements are not a part of the settlements, and Harrods is taking vicarious culpability for Fayed's acts.