The Metropolitan Police only asked prosecutors to decide whether to charge Mohamed Al Fayed in relation to two out of 21 women who accused him of sexual offences while he was alive, the BBC has established. It raises serious questions about the Met’s response to women who said they were abused by the former Harrods owner, who died aged 94 last year. Scotland Yard refused to answer the BBC’s questions about how many women it sought charging decisions on, but the Crown Prosecution Service has now provided the information.
The BBC has also established that a woman was investigated for aiding and abetting rape by Al Fayed. Last month a BBC documentary and podcast heard testimony from former Harrods employees who said the billionaire sexually assaulted or raped them. Al Fayed was never charged while he was alive.
Since the documentary aired, at least 65 women have contacted the BBC saying they were abused by Al Fayed, with allegations stretching beyond Harrods and as far back as 1977. Last week, the Met revealed that 40 women have approached the force since the film to accuse Al Fayed of sexual offences. The allegations cover a period between 1979 and 2013.
The Met has also admitted that 21 women approached the force before the BBC film. The force is conducting an internal review into these earlier complaints and the police watchdog has asked if anything needs to be referred to it for investigation. The CPS has now told the BBC that, in 2009, it made a charging decision on two.
