‘Monster’ Al Fayed was enabled by Harrods, says lawyer for staff who allege abuse

Mohamed Al Fayed was a “monster” who was enabled by a system “facilitated” by Harrods, the lawyer representing his alleged victims has said.

Al Fayed, the former owner of Harrods, has been accused of rape and sexual assault by multiple women who worked at the London store.

In a new investigation, the BBC spoke to more than 20 women who alleged sexual assault and physical violence against female Harrods staff in the billionaire’s properties in London and Paris.

Five, including a woman who was a teenager at the time, say they were raped by Al Fayed, who died in August 2023.

Speaking at a press conference on behalf of the former Harrods staff on Friday, Dean Armstrong KC said the case of Al Fayed “combines some of the most horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein”.

“I have many years of practice… I have never seen a case as horrific as this,” he added. “This case combines some of the most horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein.

“Savile because in this case, as in that, the institution, we say, knew about the behaviour.

“Epstein because in that case, as in this, there was a procurement system in place to source the women and girls – as you know there are some very young victims.

“And Weinstein, because it was a person at the very top of the organisation who was abusing his power. We will say plainly, Mohammed Al Fayed was a monster.”

Barrister Bruce Drummond told the press conference that Harrods “must accept responsibility for the damage these women have suffered”.

He said: “This is one of the worst cases of corporate sexual exploitation that certainly I, and perhaps the world has ever seen. It was absolutely horrific.”

Maria Mulla, a barrister working with the victims, said there were a “number of more serious allegations” that were not aired in the documentary and included the “worst sexual assaults that you can imagine”.

Lawyers said they were representing 37 alleged survivors and more have come forward since the documentary was published.

Alleged victims include six Americans, three Canadians and those from other countries including Malaysia, Australia and Italy, lawyers said.

Ms Mulla claimed they had also spoken to victims who did not work for Harrods but at other places, such as the Ritz, where Al Fayed visited.

One of Mohamed Al Fayed’s alleged victims, who went by the name Natacha, told the press conference the billionaire businessman was “highly manipulative”.

“He behaved like a father figure, often saying ‘call me papa’, often talking about his family and children, as if to make me feel safe around him.”

She continued: “Unbeknownst to me, I had walked into a lion’s den, a layer of cover-ups, deceit, lies, manipulation, humiliation, and gross sexual misconduct.

“The chairman preyed on the most vulnerable, those of us who needed to pay the rent and some of us who didn’t have parents to protect them.”

Asked how she felt after coming forward, she said: “It feels good to change the legacy of a man who really was a monster.”

Mr Armstrong said they were not “ruling out” pursuing other parties and facilitators other than Harrods.

A Harrods spokesperson said: “We are utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed Al Fayed. These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms.

“We also acknowledge that during this time as a business we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise.

“The Harrods of today is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010, it is one that seeks to put the welfare of our employees at the heart of everything we do.

“This is why, since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved. This process is still available for any current or former Harrods employees.

“While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organisation, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behaviour can never be repeated in the future.”

This is a breaking news story and is being updated.