Fayed was 'a monster enabled by Harrods', says accusers' lawyer

2 days ago 6

Mohamed Al Fayed, the erstwhile proprietor of Harrods, "was a monster" enabled by a strategy that "pervaded" the London store, a lawyer for his accusers has said.

The precocious Harrods proprietor was described arsenic a "sexual predator" who assaulted unit and threatened them implicit a 25-year-period, barristers representing dozens of women told a property league successful London connected Friday.

Dean Armstrong KC said it was clip Harrods "took responsibility" aft allegations against Fayed - including rape - were made successful a BBC probe this week.

Harrods has said it is "utterly appalled" by the allegations and has condemned his actions "in the strongest terms".

At the property league astir 20 survivors sat astatine the front, astatine times nodding successful agreement, and often shaking their heads arsenic they listened intently to what was astatine times grim and disturbing details of allegations against Fayed.

Some women were excessively acrophobic to travel to the event.

But Natacha spoke retired astir her clip moving for Fayed erstwhile she was 19. She said she was speaking retired present for the involvement of her ain daughters and nieces.

She described Fayed arsenic "clever and manipulative" and idiosyncratic who "preyed connected the astir vulnerable".

Natacha said Fayed subjected her to a forced kiss, made her beryllium connected his thigh truthful helium could "explore" her body, and connected 1 juncture forced himself connected her successful his backstage apartment.

He threatened her, saying helium knew wherever she and her household lived and that she would "never enactment successful London again" if she spoke retired astir what had happened to her.

The property league heard however galore women who worked for him were subjected to intrusive aesculapian tests, including afloat cervical smears and having their ovaries checked.

They were either not told the results of those tests oregon suffered what was described arsenic "degrading and humiliating comments" by Fayed astir the trial results.

Natacha told reporters she believed the aesculapian examinations were utilized to measure their intersexual "purity".

The quality league was told astir claims of extended surveillance wrong Harrods and of telephone lines being bugged.

Mr Armstrong characterised Fayed's behaviour arsenic "systematic abuse".

On Harrods helium said: "They person afloat culpability for the maltreatment these women suffered."

He added: "It is clip that they took responsibility, and it is clip that they acceptable matters right."

Victims inactive endure nightmares, slump and anxiety, reporters were told.

In effect to the BBC investigation, Harrods acknowledged that portion it was owned by Fayed, "as a concern we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise".

“The Harrods of contiguous is simply a precise antithetic organisation to the 1 owned and controlled by Al Fayed betwixt 1985 and 2010, it is 1 that 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.

It said: "Since caller accusation came to airy successful 2023 astir historical allegations of intersexual maltreatment by Al Fayed, it has been our precedence to settee claims successful the quickest mode possible, avoiding lengthy ineligible proceedings for the women involved."

It said that portion it could not undo the past it wanted to guarantee specified behaviour ne'er happened again.

Mr Armstrong said it was "simply not true" for Harrods to accidental that it was unaware of the allegations until 2023.

US lawyer Gloria Allred, who has acted successful respective high-profile intersexual maltreatment cases, said: "Underneath Harrods' glitz and glamour was a toxic, unsafe and abusive environment."

"Something was rotten astatine the halfway of Harrods," she added. "It is not capable for Harrods to accidental that they are sorry."

The lawyers were besides asked if they were alert of immoderate different allegations against Fayed successful narration to his different concern interests astatine Fulham FC and the Ritz successful Paris.

Barrister Maria Mulla said they are representing women who were employed astatine the Ritz but not anyone related to Fulham.

Fulham FC said successful a statement: "We are profoundly troubled and acrophobic to larn of the disturbing reports pursuing yesterday’s documentary. We person sincere empathy for the women who person shared their experiences.

"We are successful the process of establishing whether anyone astatine the Club is, oregon has been, affected."

The Ritz successful Paris said it "strongly condemns immoderate signifier of behaviour that does not align with the values of the establishment".

In a statement, it said the edifice "upholds the highest standards of professionalism" and has a "steadfast committedness to fostering an situation wherever employees and guests are treated with respect and integrity".

Asked wherefore they were not launching proceedings against Fayed's estate, the ineligible squad said they were not ruling thing out.

Mr Armstrong said they were successful the process of taking connected "many more" clients than the 37 they are already representing.

Since the BBC probe was published, much women person travel guardant to impeach Fayed of assaulting them.

Speaking aft the property conference, Mr Armstrong said astir 100 women person contacted his squad since the BBC documentary aired.

That includes a pistillate the BBC is calling Melanie, who said she was sexually assaulted by Fayed astatine his Park Lane flat.

There, she said helium pressured her into agreeing to sojourn again, earlier "he enactment his hands connected my bosom and said immoderate beauteous disgusting things".

Former unit person told the BBC that helium would regularly circuit the income floors looking for young pistillate assistants to beforehand to moving successful his office.