A year after his death at the age of 94, tongues are loosening in London. Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, former owner of the luxury department store Harrods and the Ritz Hotel in Paris, also known for being the father of Dodi Al Fayed, Lady Di’s last companion with whom he died in a car accident in Paris in 1997, is accused of several rapes or attempted rapes and sexual assaults by his former employees.
It’s a BBC documentary that has thrown a spanner in the works in the works, in which five women claim to have been raped while working at the luxury department store in London. For its documentary and a podcast, the BBC heard from more than twenty former employees. It reports chilling events and also criticizes a kind of omerta that reigned in the luxury store while he was its owner. The current owners of Harrods have said they are “completely appalled” by these allegations and that the victims were ignored, for which the store has “sincerely” apologized.
These rapes or sexual assaults allegedly took place in London, in his Park Lane apartment, but also in Paris, Saint-Tropez and Abu Dhabi. Described by victims as “despicable” and “a sexual predator”, he also inspired fear at work. He allegedly had cameras capable of recording installed throughout the store. Intimidating, he could also take advantage of the precarious situation of some young employees. “Mohamed Al Fayed was a monster, a sexual predator”. “All the staff at Harrods were his toys”, one of the former employees explained to the BBC.
Our report on violence against women
While Mohamed Al Fayed has faced sexual assault claims during his lifetime, press reports of his “sexual misconduct”, and confidentiality arrangements, these new allegations are unprecedented in scale and seriousness. More and more women are now considering taking legal action against Harrods. The BBC believes that many more women may have been assaulted.
