Former Harrods boss Al Fayed was a “monster” who abused young women, say his accusers' lawyers

“We say it very clearly: Mohamed Al Fayed was a monster,” said lead lawyer Dean Armstrong. “But he was a monster supported by a system, a system that permeated Harrods.”

Armstrong said the case brought together “some of the most horrific elements” from cases such as those of Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein – well-known and powerful men who were able to avoid allegations of sexual abuse for years before their victims finally came forward.

Some of Al Fayed's accusers were teenagers at the time of the abuse, and at least one was only 15 years old, according to the BBC documentary.

London's Metropolitan Police said it had already become aware of the allegations in the past and questioned Al Fayed in 2008 in connection with the sexual abuse of a 15-year-old. However, prosecutors did not pursue the case further at the time.

There was also no comment from Al Fayed’s family.

One of Al Fayed's accusers spoke at the press conference, identified only as Natacha, and said the billionaire was “highly manipulative” and “preyed on the most vulnerable, those of us who had to pay the rent and some of us who didn't have parents to protect us.”

Natacha, who said she joined Al Fayed's team of personal assistants at the age of 19, said she was invited to his private apartment one evening “under the pretext of a work meeting.” When she arrived, she said, she saw the bedroom door partially open and sex toys were visible.

“I was petrified. I sat down at the end of the sofa and then… Mohamed Al Fayed, my boss, the person I worked for, pushed himself on me,” she said.

After she kicked herself free, she said Al Fayed threatened her.

“He laughed at me,” she said. “Then he pulled himself together and told me in no uncertain terms that I must never say another word about it to anyone and that if I did, I would never work in London again and that he knew where my family lived.”

“I was scared and felt sick,” she added.

In the UK, victims often only give their name to protect their privacy. It was not clear why Natacha only gave one name on camera or whether that was her real first name.

The Associated Press only discloses the identities of victims of sexual violence if they have voluntarily come forward and identified themselves. The legal team could not immediately be reached for comment.

Having already invested in shipping in Italy and the Middle East, Al Fayed moved to Britain in the 1960s and began building an empire.

At the height of his wealth, he owned the Ritz Hotel in Paris and the south-west London football club Fulham. He moved in high circles in London but was never knighted. He became a prominent conspiracy theorist after the Paris plane crash that killed his son Dodi and Princess Diana in 1997.

Al Fayed sold Harrods in 2010 to a company owned by the state of Qatar through its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.

In a statement to the BBC, Harrods owners said they were “deeply appalled” by the abuse allegations, but added they only became aware of them last year.

“While we cannot undo the past, we are committed to doing the right thing as a company, guided by the values ​​we hold today, while ensuring that such behavior cannot be repeated in the future,” the owners said in a statement.

Armstrong rejected Harrods' claim that the owners were unaware of the sexual allegations made against Al Fayed over many years, pointing to several media reports in recent years of allegations of sexual misconduct by Al Fayed. The BBC documentary said at least one of the women had signed a non-disclosure agreement.

“We are here to say publicly and to the world, or to Harrods before the world, that it is time to take responsibility,” said Armstrong. “They should do that as soon as possible.”

US attorney Gloria Allred, who has represented victims in some of the most notorious sexual abuse cases in recent years, including cases involving Epstein, Weinstein and Bill Cosby, also spoke out, sharply criticising the culture at Harrods during Al Fayed's tenure.

“Harrods is often described as the most beautiful department store in the world… many women dreamed of working there,” she said. “However, beneath the glitz and glamour of Harrods lay a toxic, unsafe and abusive environment.”

Pan Pylas, The Associated Press