More sex attack claims against Fayed emerge

A pistillate has told the BBC she was subjected to a "sickening" intersexual battle by erstwhile Harrods proprietor Mohamed Al Fayed aft being invited to his London level for a enactment meeting.

The woman, who the BBC is calling Melanie, believes constabulary were adjacent to arresting him implicit her allegations conscionable days earlier helium died successful August 2023.

A BBC investigation published connected Thursday revealed that much than 20 women said they were sexually assaulted by the billionaire. Five said they were raped.

Melanie is 1 of a increasing fig of further ex-Harrods employees to archer the BBC they were attacked since the documentary and podcast Al-Fayed: Predator astatine Harrods was released.

The BBC probe gathered grounds that during Fayed's ownership, Harrods not lone failed to intervene, but helped screen up maltreatment allegations.

Melanie's grounds comes arsenic caller details look of failed efforts by constabulary and prosecutors to clasp Fayed to relationship during his life, and a ineligible squad representing galore of the women the BBC has spoken to volition acceptable retired their adjacent steps connected Friday.

Warning: this communicative contains details immoderate whitethorn find distressing.

Melanie worked astatine Harrods for a fewer years anterior to 2010. She described being hired determination arsenic a 21-year-old arsenic a "dream job".

She met Fayed - who was successful his precocious seventies astatine the clip - astatine enactment meetings connected 2 occasions, earlier being summoned to his flat connected London's Park Lane successful precocious 2007.

Melanie says she went to the evening gathering contempt the invitation "ringing the alarm bells".

She was shown into sitting country by a housekeeper.

Melanie continued: "He sat down adjacent to me, talking to maine for a fewer minutes, not precise long... He had asked that I instrumentality a mates of weeks aboriginal to enactment astatine the apartments the nighttime earlier the Harrods sale, and I could spell to the Harrods merchantability with him, and I could conscionable the personage that was opening it.

"And helium would not truly fto maine permission until I agreed to that, truthful I said yes to beryllium capable to leave. I did not spell back.

"As I stood to leave, that's erstwhile helium enactment his hands connected my bosom and said immoderate beauteous disgusting things. And I was successful implicit shock. I conscionable turned astir and walked out."

Melanie told the BBC she did not stock the afloat details of the "sickening" acquisition with loved ones, and for years "felt it was my fault" due to the fact that she was "naive capable to person gone". She described Fayed arsenic a "sleazebag" and "slimy".

In January 2023 Melanie decided to spell to the police. The BBC has seen emails showing the lawsuit was passed to the Met's CID department, which investigates superior allegations.

Melanie says she was aboriginal told the Met planned to apprehension Fayed that year, and officers tried to apprehension him connected 2 occasions.

But helium was excessively unwell to beryllium questioned, and helium died property 94 successful August 2023.

Like different women the BBC has spoken to, Melanie said determination were "rumours swirling" astir Fayed, and described his backstage bureau arsenic being similar a "modelling agency" afloat of young women.

She continued: "There was decidedly a knowledge, similar a concealed knowledge, wrong the institution that Fayed likes to person beauteous girls successful his chairman's office. And you bash wonderment what that means."

Other women who worked astatine Harrods person painted a representation of Fayed arsenic a predator who abused his presumption to prey connected staff, and utilized his powerfulness to deter them from speaking out.

Some erstwhile employees recounted however helium would circuit his section store and place young pistillate assistants helium recovered attractive, earlier promoting them to enactment his backstage office.

Ex-staff told the BBC this maltreatment was an unfastened concealed astatine the store. One said: "We each watched each different locomotion done that doorway thinking, ‘you mediocre girl, it's you today’ and feeling utterly powerless to halt it."

As good arsenic wrong Harrods itself and his Mayfair home, women person described incidents involving Fayed connected trips to Paris, St Tropez and Abu Dhabi.

One pistillate described him arsenic a "monster" who "cultivated fear" among his staff, portion the store's ex-deputy manager of information revealed Fayed had phones tapped and concealed cameras installed to show his employee's discussions.

Melanie was not the lone pistillate who tried to bring Fayed to justice.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed it was "aware of assorted allegations of intersexual offences made implicit a fig of years" against Fayed.

It said each of the allegations reported to the unit had been "investigated and, wherever appropriate, proposal from the Crown Prosecution Service was sought".

But Fayed was ne'er charged with a crime.

The closest helium came to being uncovered appears to person been successful October 2008, erstwhile helium was questioned implicit allegations made by a miss who helium archetypal met erstwhile she was 14.

Ellie - not her existent sanction - told the BBC that Fayed personally offered to unafraid her a occupation contempt her inactive being a teenager, and she started moving astatine Harrods erstwhile she had conscionable turned 15.

She recounted however successful May 2008 she was told to spell to the Harrods boardroom, wherever she said she was attacked by Fayed.

"He started...hugging maine and [getting] touchy feely, and rubbing himself against me, and past helium conscionable grabbed my look and tried to... enactment his lingua successful my mouth.

"I mentioned that I was 15, and [said] 'what are you doing?', and helium said I was turning into a beauteous pistillate and grabbed my chest."

She said Fayed flew into a rage and started screaming astatine her erstwhile she pushed him off.

Ellie went to the constabulary and Fayed was questioned by detectives - quality which became nationalist successful October 2008.

On Thursday, the Met confirmed it had spoken to much than 1 witnesser and analysed telephone information successful Ellie's case. The unit said it handed a record of grounds to the CPS - but prosecutors decided nary further enactment should beryllium taken.

The Met has declined to accidental whether Ellie's lawsuit was the lone 1 wherever Fayed was formally questioned, though the BBC has seen nary grounds helium was ever quizzed implicit immoderate different allegation.

The BBC understands Ellie's lawsuit was the lone clip erstwhile a record of grounds was handed to the CPS, a measurement which has to beryllium taken earlier an idiosyncratic tin beryllium charged.

On 4 occasions, constabulary investigations into Fayed were precocious capable for constabulary to consult prosecutors for ineligible advice.

The CPS advised the Met successful 2018, 2021, and 2023 - but successful those instances, constabulary did not supply prosecutors with a afloat record of evidence. It is besides not wide if each of those investigations subordinate to abstracted women.

It means Fayed was ne'er forced to reply claims against him successful tribunal during his lifetime.

Melanie described the feeling of discovering Fayed had died and would ne'er beryllium taken successful for questioning implicit her 2023 study arsenic "gutting".

But asked what she would accidental to Fayed if helium were inactive live today, Melanie told the BBC: "That you didn't get distant with it. That everybody retired determination knows what you've done... and wealth can't get you retired of this."

The claims against Fayed person not travel retired of the blue.

The Egypt-born businessman owned Harrods betwixt 1985 and 2010 and became a well-known fig done different high-profile acquisitions, specified arsenic the Ritz edifice successful Paris and Fulham Football Club.

He came to further nationalist prominence erstwhile his lad Dodi died alongside Diana, Princess of Wales - with whom Dodi was romantically progressive - successful a Paris car crash.

Despite chat amusement appearances and his associations with celebrities and nationalist figures, suspicions astir Fayed's predatory behaviour were investigated during his beingness - including by Vanity Fair successful 1995, ITV successful 1997 and Channel 4 successful 2017.

It was lone erstwhile Fayed died that galore of his victims felt capable to travel forward.

On Friday, details of caller claims are expected to emerge.

Members of the UK ineligible squad representing galore of the women featured successful the BBC documentary “Al-Fayed: Predator astatine Harrods” are to clasp a quality league connected Friday morning.

The ineligible squad volition outline the lawsuit against Harrods. They volition beryllium joined by the US women’s rights lawyer Gloria Allred, who has represented victims of high-profile offenders successful the past.

Fourteen of the women the BBC has spoken to person brought civilian claims against Harrods' existent owners for damages.

Harrods said it has a process disposable to women who accidental they were attacked by Fayed, adding "it has been our precedence to settee claims successful the quickest mode possible, avoiding lengthy ineligible proceedings for the women involved".

Harrods reiterated its apology to its erstwhile unit aft the BBC probe was published. A spokesperson said: "We person present had the accidental to ticker the programme and erstwhile again explicit our sympathy to the victims featured."

The Met said it was committed to investigating intersexual offences and encouraged victims to talk to police.

It besides said immoderate caller accusation astir Fayed would beryllium "assessed and investigated accordingly".

Fayed's household did not supply a connection erstwhile asked for comment.