Mohamed Al Fayed is alleged to be a serial sexual predator.
His sexual abuse, which has been under the spotlight for years, was not confined to his time as chairman of the luxury department store Harrods, according to lawyers for women who claim he assaulted them.
The late Mr Al Fayed was first accused of sexual abuse in the late 1980s, but the allegations did not lead to criminal charges.
On Friday, lawyer Bruce Drummond, who is representing some of the businessman’s alleged victims, said: “Reports of Al Fayed’s behaviour were made public as early as 1995.
“ITV aired a programme in 1997 covering matters. Publicists like Max Clifford thought it was funny and joked about it publicly.”
Here is a timeline of the allegations:
– 1995
Vanity Fair published an article aimed at exposing Mr Al Fayed’s behaviour.
He responded to it with a libel lawsuit, though he later agreed to drop the case as long as all the evidence the magazine had gathered in preparation for a trial was locked away.
A settlement was negotiated by a senior Harrods executive, the BBC reported.
– 1997
Four women on ITV’s The Big Story – in a programme entitled “Sex, Lies and Audiotape” – alleged that they were repeatedly groped, subjected to crude remarks and promised rewards in return for sex.
Mr Al Fayed reacted angrily to the allegations and issued a statement condemning the claims as outrageous and untrue, arguing that they were a repetition of allegations previously made in Vanity Fair magazine by disgruntled former employees.
Robert Loftus, a former Harrods security chief who claimed that Mr Al Fayed secretly but legally bugged employees, also appeared on the programme and alleged that the store owner did not care what he said to female staff.
In his statement, Mr Al Fayed said he was unable to comment in detail or contribute to the programme because he was not allowed to hear the allegations in advance and he questioned the motivation of the contributors to the programme.
– 2009
The Crown Prosecution Service, then led by Sir Keir Starmer, elected not to prosecute Mr Al Fayed following claims he had sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in Harrods.
He denied all allegations against him and attended a voluntary police interview.
– 2015
A police investigation did not lead to any charges.
– July 2023
Harrods began settling claims with women who came forward with claims of sexual abuse at the hands of Mr Al Fayed.
The department store’s new and current owners said they are “utterly appalled” by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by the late billionaire, adding: “As a business, we failed our employees who were his victims and for this, we sincerely apologise.”
– August 2023
Mohamed Al Fayed died on August 30 in London. He was aged 94.
– 2024
In September, a BBC special investigation revealed that more than 20 women alleged assault and physical violence at Mr Al Fayed’s properties in London and Paris.
Five women alleged they had been raped by Mr Al Fayed, the broadcaster reported.
At a press conference on Friday, lawyer Maria Mulla reported that some women offered jobs such as secretary, personal assistant and interior designer during Mr Al Fayed’s time at Harrods were sent for private medical examinations.
These examinations were said to include a cervical smear test, having their ovaries checked and a full sexual health screening.
When they asked why they had to have the examination, they were given the answer “he wants to make sure that you are clean”.
The results were rarely provided to them personally but Mr Al Fayed and his enablers knew the results as he would make “degrading and humiliating comments” to them about “untoward” results from their medical, Ms Mulla said.
Lawyer Gloria Allred, who has fought for victims of sex offenders including Jeffrey Epstein, R Kelly and Harvey Weinstein, told the press conference the “ugly truth” is that under Mr Al Fayed’s chairmanship, Harrods was “a toxic, unsafe and abusive environment”.
She said: “The allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed include serial rape, attempted rape, sexual battery and sexual abuse of minors.
“They involve 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.
“The allegations also include the unauthorised disclosure, to Mohamed Al Fayed, of the examination results of employees he targeted for sexual abuse.
“The allegations involve cover-ups, threats and a quarter century of sexual abuse by Mohamed Al Fayed after he purchased Harrods and became its chairman.”
