One of the women, who accused Al Fayed of raping her when she was a teenager, described the Harrods boss as a “monster” who was “always spreading fear”.
According to a BBC documentary aired on Thursday, no intervention was made Harrods He owned the company between 1985 and 2010 but took no action and helped cover up the allegations. All the women the BBC spoke to said they felt intimidated in the workplace.
Harrods said in a statement: “We are shocked by the allegations of attacks carried out by Mohamed Al Fayed… These actions were clearly intended to exploit his influence.”
“We also acknowledge that we have failed the victims during this period, and for that we sincerely apologize,” the company added in its statement, noting that the chain is now a “completely different organization” from the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed.
Allegations of sexual assault against Al Fayed have been reported in the past by several media outlets, including Vanity Fair in 1995, ITV in 1997 and Channel 4 in 2017.
Settlement of Legal Claims
Harrods said: “Since new information emerged in 2023 about old allegations of sexual assault by Al-Fayed, our priority has been to resolve the claims as quickly as possible to avoid the lengthy legal proceedings that the women could face.”
According to Reuters, any current or former employee of Harrods can initiate the procedures.
In 2009, prosecutors decided not to prosecute Al Fayed on charges that he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in his store, saying there was “no strong evidence to convict him.”
Police later questioned Al Fayed, who maintained his total denial.
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More than 20 former female employees testified in a BBC documentary and podcast that Al FayedHe, who died last year at the age of 94, sexually assaulted them.
One of the women, who accused Al Fayed of raping her when she was a teenager, described the Harrods boss as a “monster” who was “always spreading fear”.
According to a BBC documentary aired on Thursday, no intervention was made Harrods He owned the company between 1985 and 2010 but took no action and helped cover up the allegations. All the women the BBC spoke to said they felt intimidated in the workplace.
Harrods said in a statement: “We are shocked by the allegations of attacks carried out by Mohamed Al Fayed… These actions were clearly intended to exploit his influence.”
“We also acknowledge that we have failed the victims during this period, and for that we sincerely apologize,” the company added in its statement, noting that the chain is now a “completely different organization” from the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed.
Allegations of sexual assault against Al Fayed have been reported in the past by several media outlets, including Vanity Fair in 1995, ITV in 1997 and Channel 4 in 2017.
Settlement of Legal Claims
Harrods said: “Since new information emerged in 2023 about old allegations of sexual assault by Al-Fayed, our priority has been to resolve the claims as quickly as possible to avoid the lengthy legal proceedings that the women could face.”
According to Reuters, any current or former employee of Harrods can initiate the procedures.
In 2009, prosecutors decided not to prosecute Al Fayed on charges that he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in his store, saying there was “no strong evidence to convict him.”
Police later questioned Al Fayed, who maintained his total denial.
