CPS twice did not prosecute Mohammed Al Fayed

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said it doubly did not bring charges against Mohamed Al Fayed implicit enactment maltreatment claims.

Fresh allegations are being made astir the precocious billionaire who owned Harrods and who died past twelvemonth astatine the property of 94.

A BBC documentary has led to dozens of women coming guardant to accidental they were raped oregon sexually assaulted by Egyptian businessman Fayed.

The CPS said connected Sunday it considered bringing charges against Fayed successful 2009 and 2015 - but connected some occasions it "concluded determination was nary realistic imaginable of a conviction".

In 2008, the Metropolitan Police investigated Fayed aft a 15-year-old miss said helium sexually assaulted her successful the Harrods boardroom.

The unit said it handed a record of grounds to the CPS - a measurement which has to beryllium taken earlier charges tin beryllium issued - but prosecutors decided nary further enactment should beryllium taken.

A CPS spokesperson said: “We reviewed files of grounds presented by the constabulary successful 2009 and 2015.

“To bring a prosecution the CPS indispensable beryllium assured determination is simply a realistic imaginable of condemnation – successful each lawsuit our prosecutors looked cautiously astatine the grounds and concluded this wasn’t the case.”

Three different investigations into claims made by 3 different women - successful 2018, 2021 and 2023 - got to an precocious capable signifier that the CPS was called successful to counsel detectives.

But, successful those instances a afloat record of grounds was ne'er passed to prosecutors.

Fayed bought Harrods successful 1985 and sold it successful 2010.

More than 20 women person told the BBC the businessman sexually assaulted oregon raped them portion they worked astatine Harrods luxury section store successful London.

The ineligible squad representing galore of the women the BBC has spoken to outlined their lawsuit against Harrods connected Friday.

Harrods’ existent owners said earlier this week they were "utterly appalled" by the allegations and that "victims were failed".

The institution said it is simply a "very antithetic organisation" present and "seeks to enactment the payment of our employees astatine the bosom of everything we do".

The section store's caller owners person a compensation strategy for ex-employees who accidental they were attacked by Fayed, which is abstracted to the ineligible enactment being taken by immoderate accusers.

Harrods has already reached fiscal settlements with the bulk of radical who person approached them since 2023, and has had caller inquiries this week.

Harrods is accepting vicarious liability for the actions of Fayed, and determination are nary non-disclosure agreements attached to the settlements.

Dean Armstrong KC, 1 of the barristers representing alleged victims, said helium was "at a loss" arsenic to what the caller accusation Harrods received successful 2023 whitethorn person been.

In a BBC interrogation connected Saturday, helium argued the caller owners - who bought Harrods successful 2010 - "either didn’t cognize [about the allegations] - which I find precise hard to judge - oregon refused to admit that determination was this inheritance of intersexual misconduct".

Mr Armstrong besides said his squad had 37 clients, but that the fig of radical who had contacted them with claims astir Fayed was approaching 150.

Lawyers allege Fayed's assaults occurred astir the satellite - including successful the UK, US, Canada, France, Malaysia and Dubai.

"It's precise overmuch a planetary case, it’s not conscionable the UK. It happened each implicit the world," different lawyer, Bruce Drummond, told the BBC.