More than 20 women have accused former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed of sexual assault, including rape. The female ex-employees alleged they were sexually assaulted by the billionaire while they were working at the luxury department store in London, with five of them claiming they were raped by him. One woman who said Al Fayed raped her at his apartment on Park Lane when she was a teenager branded him a “monster, a sexual predator with no moral compass whatsoever”, describing the staff at Harrods as his “playthings”.
She said: “We were all so scared. He actively cultivated fear. If he said ‘jump’ employees would ask ‘how high’.
” The BBC’s documentary and podcast Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods gathered evidence from the more than 20 women against Fayed, who died last year aged 94, with incidents said to have happened in London, Paris, St Tropez and Abu Dhabi. The broadcaster has alleged Harrods failed to intervene and even helped to cover up the abuse accusations. The department store’s current owners sincerely apologised, saying they are “utterly appalled” by the allegations and that Fayed’s alleged victims had been failed.
“The spider’s web of corruption and abuse in this company was unbelievable and very dark,” said barrister Bruce Drummond, who works for a firm representing a number of the women. Fayed faced accusations of sexual assault when he was alive, but the BBC report includes fresh allegations and more alleged victims. In a statem.