Lawyers say deceased Harrods owner abused dozens of women

Ben Stansall/AFP

Dozens of women from around the world have accused the late Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed of sexual assault, lawyers said on Friday, comparing the allegations to those against deceased figures such as Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

At least 37 women from Australia, Canada, Italy, Malaysia, Romania and the United States have come forward to accuse the Egyptian billionaire, who died last year at the age of 94, of abuse.

One of them was just 16 years old when she was allegedly attacked.

The publicity surrounding the BBC investigation into the allegations is expected to lead to more women turning to lawyers, including five women who said they had been raped.

Lawyers for some of the women said they had been victims of “systematic abuse” over 25 years, “with the knowledge of Harrods department store,” which Al-Fayed sold in 2010.

The new owners of the exclusive London department store said they were “deeply appalled” by the allegations.

But lawyer Dean Armstrong said there was a “miserable failure in corporate responsibility and a failure to provide a safe system in the workplace.”

Fayed is accused of sexually harassing, raping and attempting to rape several young women, including minors, who were employed as his secretaries and personal assistants at the West London store.

“He was a system-enabled monster,” Armstrong said at a press conference.

– Previous allegations –

Fayed's prosecutors say the attacks took place at his apartments in London and at his properties in Paris, including the Ritz Hotel, which he also owned.

Armstrong said the current claims focused on Harrods because of “collective corporate responsibility” and “vicarious liability” and that the evidence showed “a pattern was evident that is beyond any doubt”.

Vicarious liability holds the company responsible for the actions of its employees, and Harrods accepted this principle in settling some allegations against Fayed that came to light last year.

However, since the BBC investigation, new inquiries have been received.

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

London's Metropolitan Police said it was “aware” of allegations of sexual assault involving Fayed, which had been reported to police “over several years”.

“Each individual case was investigated and, where appropriate, the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service was sought. No charges resulted from these investigations,” the Met said in a statement.

However, the police said they would “investigate accordingly” if further information became available. In recent years, progress had been made in “improving the quality” of investigations into sexual crimes, they said.

– “Highly manipulative” –

Among the most recent allegations is that women were repeatedly subjected to a selection process for positions close to the CEO.

After their selection, they were subjected to an “invasive” gynecological examination, the results of which were “rarely” communicated to the women but passed on to Fayed, according to lawyer Maria Mulla.

One of the survivors, Natacha, said she was a 19-year-old employee when she was “subjected to an unnecessary and intrusive medical examination” and tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

“I was tested for AIDS and STDs without my consent and now, in hindsight, I believe my purity was checked,” she added.

Natacha, who did not give her last name, described Fayed as an “extremely manipulative” employer whose abuses included “forced kissing” and cases of sexual harassment.

Women who tried to complain about the abuse were threatened, demoted and faced with false accusations by security chiefs until they were left with “no choice” but to leave Harrods.

According to the BBC, many of the women told their stories after disagreeing with Fayed's portrayal in the Netflix drama “The Crown.”

The series dramatizes his friendship with Princess Diana, who died in a car crash with Fayed's son Dodi in 1997.

– Global claim –

The lawyers said the claims had not yet been made, but they would welcome it if Harrods decided to “compensate the women financially.” However, the case is about “much more” than just money.

Lawyer Bruce Drummond described the “vast” scope of the allegations. One of the three Canadian plaintiffs said she was only 16 years old when she was allegedly attacked. Six of the plaintiffs are American.

Some of the alleged attacks took place abroad, including in Saint Tropez and Abu Dhabi. Some of the women were employed at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, Mulla said.

The Ritz said in a statement that it “strongly condemns any behavior that is inconsistent with establishment values.”

Fayed reportedly sold Harrods to the investment arm of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund for £1.5 billion ($2.2 billion).

He also owned the Fulham football club and the lawyers were also “aware” of the sexual abuse allegations.

“Beneath all the glitz and glamour” there was “a toxic, unsafe and abusive environment,” says US attorney Gloria Allred, who is in charge of the case and has represented victims of convicted sex offenders such as Jeffrey Epstein.

Fayed is the “epitome of a serial sex offender,” she said.

© Agence France-Presse