Al Fayed claimed 'poor health' when police investigated abuse

The Metropolitan Police failed to situation a assertion from Mohamed Al Fayed that helium was excessively sick to respond to a intersexual battle allegation, according to an authoritative complaint.

An American woman, Pelham Spong, reported to officers successful 2017 that the tycoon had assaulted her a decennary before, but the probe was unopen down with constabulary saying they were "unable to get an relationship from the fishy owing to his mediocre authorities of health".

But successful a ailment to the UK's constabulary watchdog, shared with BBC News, Ms Spong's lawyers accidental constabulary should person been much thorough successful checking the aesculapian grounds provided to them.

The Met said its reappraisal of allegations relating to Mohamed Al Fayed remained ongoing and would stock its findings arsenic soon arsenic possible.

The ailment said this constabulary nonaccomplishment reflects an "apathy towards victims" oregon an "institutional tendency to insulate Mr Al Fayed from prosecution".

The BBC has contacted Al Fayed's property for comment.

Ms Spong is being represented by the precocious illustration US lawyer, Sigrid McCawley who led ineligible actions against Jeffrey Epstein - who died successful a New York situation cell arsenic helium awaited proceedings connected enactment trafficking charges.

"This has gone connected excessively long," Ms McCawley said. "Too galore survivors were victims of Fayed and they reported to police.

"They got zero protection. That's appalling and it has to stop."

Ms Spong applied for a occupation arsenic a PA to Al Fayed successful 2008, portion surviving successful Paris, aged 23.

She told constabulary aboriginal that portion successful London for interviews, Al Fayed grabbed and kissed her, making wide that enactment with the brag was a request of the role.

The institution besides required her to person an intimate aesculapian examination, the results of which, she says, were passed to Al Fayed, who appeared to cognize she had been diagnosed with a insignificant infection.

She described what had happened successful emails soon afterwards, to friends and a recruitment consultant, but was excessively frightened of Al Fayed's powerfulness to study him.

Ms Spong yet felt capable to travel guardant 9 years aboriginal and a Metropolitan Police probe began.

In June 2018 she was emailed by a detective to accidental they had been provided with adept grounds astir Al Fayed, which would "have an impact" connected the investigation.

​​Thirteen days aboriginal a much elder serviceman said the lawsuit would beryllium closed, partially due to the fact that constabulary had been incapable to get the businessman's effect to the allegations, owed to his health.

The Met said the lawsuit couldn't beryllium referred to prosecutors due to the fact that determination wasn't capable evidence.

Ms Spong's ailment to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) concludes the determination to terminate the probe was "premature and flawed".

The ailment said: "The police... ought to person been much thorough successful assessing the substance and veracity" of the aesculapian grounds provided by Al Fayed.

Al Fayed's lad Omar precocious told the Mail On Sunday his begetter had pretended to endure from dementia truthful helium could evade prosecution for intersexual crimes.

Aging suspects successful humanities maltreatment cases person been a communal situation for different constabulary forces. However 3 years earlier the Al Fayed probe ended, a disgraced Church of England Bishop, Peter Ball, was successfully prosecuted contempt being successful his 80s.

The aforesaid twelvemonth an effort was made to prosecute the Labour adjacent Lord Janner, contempt 4 doctors agreeing helium was suffering from dementia. He died before a proceedings could instrumentality place.

The Met besides told Ms Spong that owed to the "historic quality of this allegation" nary aesculapian evidence, telephone, CCTV, forensics oregon eyewitness accounts could beryllium gathered".

However she says she had fixed them a record of emails, letters and aesculapian records from the exertion process, which she has besides shared with the BBC.

These uncover the names of employees with whom she came successful contact, including 2 doctors progressive successful the aesculapian introspection she was told she had to undergo.

Her IOPC ailment alleges the constabulary failed to get ceremonial statements from the doctors, a recruiter who suggested Ms Spong for the job, and different Harrods unit who mightiness person been capable to corroborate her claims.

Ms Spong's lawyers besides judge constabulary asked the incorrect institution for records astir her occupation exertion - approaching the steadfast managing the flat artifact wherever she stayed successful London, alternatively than Harrods itself.

The ailment concludes: "These investigative failures, peculiarly erstwhile viewed alongside the present disclosed anterior and concurrent accounts from different women and girls alleging akin misconduct by Mr Al Fayed, suggest a concerning signifier of systemic inaction by the Met."

Ms Spong said she had been told by the constabulary that if much women made allegations against Al Fayed they could proceed to investigate.

But an effort to reopen the lawsuit successful 2021 stalled wrong months.

The Met has confirmed that it was alert of 21 allegations against Al Fayed earlier the BBC broadcast its documentary past year.

Ms Spong said: "More women did, successful fact, travel guardant to archer their stories of maltreatment to the Met, and others had earlier me, and it didn't marque immoderate difference. The Met did nothing."

Her lawyer Ms McCawley asked: "Who were the determination makers who allowed Fayed to get a implicit walk here?"

"It's beyond unacceptable. They wouldn't bash that with immoderate different fishy - they would person been prosecuted."

Ms Spong and her lawyers anticipation the IOPC ailment volition beryllium the commencement of a ineligible run by US victims for a wider probe into the effect to the Al Fayed maltreatment scandal.

Ms McCawley's conflict against Epstein led to a US Department of Justice probe "of those who did not bash their duty," she said.

She described Ms Spong's ailment arsenic a "little jab astatine the Met", but "part of a overmuch larger and important event".

The IOPC tin either cull the complaint, clasp its ain investigation, oregon walk the lawsuit to the Met for probe overseen by the watchdog.

It tin urge constabulary officers look misconduct proceedings oregon prosecution.

The Met added it had transformed the mode it investigated intersexual offences, putting victims astatine the bosom of its response.

Its reappraisal of erstwhile Al Fayed investigations is looking for grounds of misconduct oregon corruption among officers.

The Met is besides investigating radical who whitethorn person enabled Al Fayed's abusive behaviour.