The Metropolitan Police announced on Friday that 40 additional women have come forward with allegations of rape and sexual assault against the late Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
These allegations follow claims made by former employees of the renowned London department store during a BBC broadcast last month. The new accusations span from 1979 to 2013, encompassing serious offenses, including sexual assault and rape.
The recent claims add to the 21 women who previously reported sex crime allegations against Al Fayed between 2005 and 2023. Despite multiple allegations, the businessman was never prosecuted and passed away last year at the age of 94.
Police officials urged any victims of Al Fayed or individuals with relevant information to come forward. Commander Stephen Clayman stated that detectives would thoroughly review the new information to determine if any criminal charges could be pursued.
Questions are now being raised about the inaction taken against Al Fayed while he was alive. He was questioned by detectives in 2008 regarding allegations of sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old girl. In subsequent years, police submitted evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, but no charges were ever filed.
Michael Ward, the current managing director of Harrods, expressed regret last month over the store’s failure to protect its employees. Ward acknowledged that Al Fayed “presided over a toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion, and sexual misconduct” during his time at the helm of the department store.
Al Fayed’s family has not issued a public comment regarding the recent allegations.
Originally from Egypt, Al Fayed moved to the United Kingdom in the 1960s and acquired Harrods in the mid-1980s. He sold the iconic store in 2010 to a firm owned by the state of Qatar through its sovereign wealth fund.
Beyond his retail ventures, Al Fayed gained notoriety for his ownership of the London soccer team Fulham and for his public assertions surrounding the tragic death of his son, Dodi, alongside Princess Diana in a 1997 car crash in Paris.
An inquest later determined that reckless actions by their driver, combined with pursuing paparazzi, caused the fatal accident. Investigations in both the United Kingdom and France found no evidence of conspiracy related to their deaths.
