Mohamed Al Fayed is accused of raping five women who worked at Harrods | UK News

Five women claimed they were raped by former boss Mohamed Al Fayed while working at the luxury department store Harrods.

More than 20 former employees said the billionaire, who died last year at the age of 94, sexually abused them.

The incidents are said to have occurred in London, Paris, St. Tropez and Abu Dhabi.

A woman who claimed Al Fayed raped her in his Park Lane home said: “I made it clear I did not want this. I did not consent. I just wanted it to be over.”

Another person says she was a teenager when she was raped at her Mayfair address.

She said he treated all the staff at Harrods like his “playthings,” adding: “Mohamed Al Fayed was a monster, a sexual predator with no moral basis whatsoever.”

“We were all so scared. He actively encouraged fear. When he said 'jump,' the staff would ask 'how high?'”

Attorney Bruce Drummon, who represents some of the women, said: “The web of corruption and abuse in this company was unbelievable and very dark.”

They told the BBC that Harrods had failed to intervene and accused the department store of covering up the allegations.

The current owners said they were “completely appalled” and apologized for letting the women who came forward down.

Gemma, who worked as one of Al Fayed's personal assistants between 2007 and 2009, said he raped her at the Windsor villa in Paris.

She said she woke up in her bedroom to find Al Fayed standing next to her wearing only a silk dressing gown before trying to get into bed with her.

She said: “I told him: ‘No, I don’t want that.’ And he kept trying to get into bed until he was somehow on top of me and [I] I really couldn't move anywhere.

“I was lying face down on the bed and he just pushed himself on top of me.”

After she was raped, she cried while he stood up and told her to wash herself with Dettol.

“Obviously he wanted me to destroy every trace of him around me,” she explained.

Gemma said she had to destroy footage she had taken of Mr Al Fayed sexually assaulting her.

“Human resources had told me during my exit process that if I could leave quietly and quickly, I would have to destroy all my evidence,” she said on the “Today” show.

“They offered me a settlement, forced me to destroy my evidence and sign a non-disclosure agreement promising never to talk about it.”

“Behavioral patterns”

A woman named Sophia worked as his personal assistant from 1988 to 1991 and said he tried to rape her more than once.

The numerous allegations have revealed a pattern of predatory behaviour by Al Fayed as the Harrods owner made his rounds of the department store.

He sought out young female assistants he found attractive and promoted them to his offices on the upper floor, former employees said.

Many of the women underwent extensive medical examinations before starting work, including invasive tests of their sexual health, but many did not see the results themselves.

Katherine, who worked as an executive assistant in 2005, said: “It's no use to anyone knowing about my sexual health unless they're planning to sleep with someone, which I find quite scary now.”

The alleged attacks took place there or in his London apartment and on trips abroad.

One former employee said: “We all watched each other walk through the door and thought, 'You poor girl, it's your turn today' and felt completely powerless to stop it.”

One victim said she was called into his apartment and told to sit on his bed before Al Fayed put his hand on her leg.

She said: “I remember feeling his body on top of me, his weight. I just heard him making these noises. And… my mind just went somewhere else.”

“He raped me.”

Another victim said she felt like she couldn't say no because she had to pay rent and didn't have a family home to return to.

“I knew I had to go through this, but I didn't want to. It was horrible and my head was messed up.”

Al Fayed was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, came to London in the 1960s and set about building a business empire.

He took control of Harrods in 1985 and later expanded his business interests to include the Paris Ritz and Fulham Football Club.

The tycoon rarely made headlines. His most public attack on the House of Windsor and the establishment came in August 1997, following the death of his son and heir Dodi – along with Princess Diana of Wales – in a car crash in Paris.

Even ten years after their deaths, he continued to claim that they had been murdered as part of a plot by the security services and the Duke of Edinburgh.

However, after a six-month investigation that attracted much attention in 2007 and 2008, he reluctantly had to admit defeat.

The billionaire's relationship with the royal family was portrayed in the fifth season of The Crown, which saw Mr Al Fayed, played by Salim Daw, meet Diana.

Al Fayed had previously been accused of sexually harassing and groping several women, but a police investigation in 2015 did not result in any charges.

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