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Former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed accused of rape by former workers

Former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed accused of rape by former workers

More than 20 female ex-Harrods workers have accused former owner Mohamed Al Fayed of rape and sexual assault.

The former staff members said they had been sexually assaulted by Al Fayed, who died last year, while working at the London retailer. Five workers alleged they had been raped by the billionaire.

One of the ex-staff members who claimed Al Fayed had raped her at his apartment when she was a teenager described him as a “monster, a sexual predator with no moral compass whatsoever,” calling the workers at the department store his “playthings”.

“We were all so scared. He actively cultivated fear,” she said. “If he said ‘jump’ employees would ask ‘how high’.”

A documentary and podcast by the BBC entitled Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods took evidence from the staff members against Al Fayed with incidents alleged to have occured in London, St Tropez, Abu Dhabi and Paris.

Harrods’ current owners said they were “utterly appalled” by the claims and that the alleged victims had been failed.

While Al Fayed received accusations of sexual assault while he was alive, the broadcaster’s report featured new allegations as well as further alleged victims.

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Harrods 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.”

It continued: “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.”

The luxury retailer concluded: “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.”

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