We were lambs to the slaughter, say Fayed accusers

Women moving astatine Harrods were similar "lambs to the slaughter" during the years Mohamed Al Fayed was capable to usage his London section store to transportation retired maltreatment astatine will, 1 of his accusers has said.

Lindsay was 1 of 5 women who shared their communicative with BBC Breakfast, and discussed the nighttime she says she was drugged and subjected to an attempted rape during a enactment travel to Paris.

Jen besides spoke connected the programme, opening up successful nationalist for the precise archetypal clip astir her ordeal 35 years on.

Their stories overgarment a communal representation of however Fayed's behaviour was enabled astatine Harrods. A increasing fig of accounts person emerged arsenic portion of a large BBC documentary investigation, Al Fayed: Predator astatine Harrods.

The 5 accusers urged different women with stories similar theirs to travel forward.

Sexual assault, harassment, regular groping, trafficking, attempted rape, mendacious imprisonment: that is what Lindsay says her world was portion moving for Fayed arsenic a idiosyncratic adjunct for 5 months successful 1989-90.

She has told immoderate of her communicative earlier but this greeting shared harrowing caller details astir the nighttime she believes she was drugged and attacked successful Paris.

Lindsay recounted having meal with Fayed, different workfellow and 3 celebrities, erstwhile she received a "tap connected the enarthrosis by security" and was taken away.

Lindsay assumed she and her workfellow were going to accommodation astatine the Ritz, the exclusive Paris edifice which Fayed besides owned.

Instead, she was taken to a level belonging to his son, Dodi.

"As you walked in, each the doors locked down you. I said to the information feline 'what's that each about'.

"He said, 'it's conscionable to support you safe' - but it was to marque definite you couldn't escape.

"It was the astir terrifying nighttime of my life."

Lindsay says she has nary representation of returning from Paris and sustained important injuries. She says she was aboriginal held successful a Harrods bureau by a workfellow nether the orders of Fayed.

She managed to escape.

"Harrods volition ne'er permission me," she added.

"The thoughts, the memories I person from those tragic episodes are wrong me."

Fayed bought Harrods successful 1985 and sold it successful 2010.

The BBC has unearthed grounds which shows there was a civilization of fearfulness astatine the store during his tenure, a play erstwhile helium could seemingly enactment with impunity without his predatory behaviour being challenged.

Its existent owners person apologised unreservedly and said his actions were that of "an idiosyncratic who was intent connected abusing his power".

Harrods has besides confirmed it is investigating whether immoderate unit inactive astatine the store were progressive successful immoderate of the allegations against Fayed, aft the BBC revealed 1 pistillate claimed a manager inactive employed determination failed to analyse erstwhile she said she had been sexually assaulted.

Lindsay told the BBC that Harrods arsenic a wider organisation needs to beryllium held to relationship implicit a strategy which allowed Fayed to people women.

She added: "Who needs 25 PAs? They enabled this concern and near america similar lambs to the slaughter."

Jen, who has told her communicative publically for the archetypal clip aft waiving her anonymity, says she was subjected to a fig of intersexual assaults and attempted rape during 5 years moving for Fayed.

"I person been surviving with this concealed I've been profoundly ashamed of for 35 years," she said.

"I haven't told a soul."

She spoke astir however Fayed "still felt similar a menace until the infinitesimal helium died" and however his decease successful August 2023 "helped maine to beryllium capable to travel guardant without fearfulness of immoderate consequence".

Jen precocious told her household astir her experience, a speech she described arsenic "something I hoped I'd ne'er person to do".

The accusers who spoke retired contiguous were successful statement that Fayed's modus operandi was to marque his victims consciousness isolated.

"He made you consciousness similar you were the lone idiosyncratic this was happening to," Jen said.

She recounted however helium asked to beryllium called "papa" successful private.

Fayed would archer her she should "look upon him arsenic a begetter figure, that helium would support maine and look aft me".

He provided a level successful Park Lane, cardinal London, for her to enactment successful connected the pretence that she wouldn't person to question location unsocial precocious astatine night.

Jen aboriginal discovered it was fitted with concealed cameras.

Katherine's communicative was heard for the archetypal clip successful nationalist connected BBC Breakfast.

She was hired successful 2005 via an extracurricular bureau and was initially lone told she would beryllium moving for a "high nett worth" individual.

Soon aft gathering Fayed, her caller occupation became a misery.

"The archetypal week oregon truthful was truly humiliating. I had the Harrods attire of a achromatic suit and helium would telephone maine into his bureau and archer maine 'this doesn't doesn't work'.

"He would rip the buttons disconnected the beforehand of my garment and worldly wealth into my garment pouch and archer maine to bargain much suits. I would travel backmost the adjacent time and helium would repetition it and repetition it."

That archetypal week near Katherine "shattered", and she realised she was successful further harm's mode during a enactment travel to Paris.

"I realised I was successful information determination due to the fact that my doorway didn't lock, I had to barricade it with a suitcase and a chair.

"Ultimately helium forced himself upon maine successful his office. I fought him disconnected and I told him 'I'm a PA and a PA only, and that's what I do'.

"He said 'then you should person worked successful the Post Office'. The adjacent time my table was gone and I mislaid my job."

Gemma worked arsenic a idiosyncratic adjunct for Fayed betwixt 2007 and 2009.

She described however helium would go "more frightening" during overseas trips, a signifier respective of his accusers person attested to.

Gemma says she was raped during 1 of those trips successful Paris.

She said: "It's thing that's astir apt ne'er going to spell away... yet it feels similar Harrods is ne'er going to disappear."

Like the different women the BBC has spoken to, Gemma fears determination whitethorn beryllium galore much victims of Fayed retired there.

She said: "It's shocking the magnitude of women who've astir apt been progressive implicit those years.

"It could beryllium thousands, you conscionable don't know.

"In my clip determination indispensable person been hundreds of women who were brought up to the offices and disappeared into gathering rooms and near crying."

Gemma besides spoke astir however telling her communicative had been "helpful" for dealing with that trauma and praised the "amazing support" she has received from her co-accusers.

"We're getting stronger together, time by day."

A communal taxable among the stories of women who worked astatine Harrods is of not realising the information they were exposed to and the standard of Fayed's abuse.

Nicole - who was besides sharing her communicative publically for the archetypal clip - said: "I truly did consciousness that radical weren't being honorable and unfastened but it was a hard happening to broach.

"I didn't cognize what was existent and wasn't true, determination were tons of rumours, radical talked.

"But for me, his estimation was 'he's a spot of a letch, he's a spot handsy' - determination wasn't the much superior accusations, due to the fact that there's perfectly nary mode I would person worked for him if that was the case."

Nicole, who worked for Fayed betwixt 2005 and 2007, besides spoke astir the fearfulness helium instilled among those who worked underneath him: "There was a palpable anxiety, you could truly consciousness this hum successful the air...

"Everyday you had this anxiety... [and think] 'how americium I going to get done this day'.

"It was a conflict to travel done the time smiling."

In a connection released aft the BBC aired its documentary, Harrods said it is simply a precise antithetic spot nether its existent ownership.

The store has reached fiscal settlements with respective accusers and says it is committed to agreeing caller ones speedily.

Many women are choosing to prosecute justness via an alternate ineligible process. One of the lawyers starring that effort is Dean Armstrong, who said his squad has heard from up to 200 women.

He told BBC Breakfast that his ineligible squad are moving connected assembling a "worldwide claim" centred connected Harrods involving incidents successful respective countries.

Mr Armstrong said determination was a "whole strategy to facilitate" Fayed's maltreatment astatine the store, which gave him the powerfulness to endanger women who threatened to talk out.

"I called him a monster past week," the lawyer added. "I basal by that remark."

All of the women who shared their stories with the BBC had 1 much happening successful common: they urged others retired determination who whitethorn person been attacked astatine Harrods to travel forward.

Jen assured victims who person not shared their acquisition that they would beryllium listened to and supported, and urged them to talk to someone.

"We can't clasp him to relationship due to the fact that he's dormant - but we tin marque definite that radical cognize the information astir this man," she added.

"He was not a gregarious, charity-giving clown - helium was a unsafe intersexual predator."