The documentary and podcast Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods gathers evidence that Harrods not only did not intervene when Al Fayed was the owner, but also helped cover up allegations of abuse.
The current owners of Harrods said they were shocked by the allegations and that the store offered a sincere apology.
Everyone knew everything
The harassment took place at the Harrods offices, Mr Al Fayed’s London flat or during trips abroad – often to Paris, the Ritz Hotel, which he also owned, or the nearby Windsor Villa. 13 women claim that Mr. Al Fayed sexually abused them in his home, 4 of them claim to have been raped.
Mr. Al Fayed regularly walked around the department store’s vast sales floor and scouted out attractive young female employees, then moved them to work in his office upstairs, former employees, both male and female, said.
According to the women, everyone was too intimidated to tell anyone. Many were afraid to even talk among themselves about the billionaire’s atrocities, for fear of being overheard. Former deputy head of security Eamonn Coyle confirmed this, explaining that part of his job was to listen to tapes of recorded conversations. He said surveillance cameras were installed throughout the store, including the managers’ offices. Harrods executives also knew what was going on.
“I knew about the illegal treatment of women when I worked in the store,” says Tony Leeming, 1994-2004. worked as a department manager at Harrods. It “wasn’t even a secret,” recalls T. Leeming, who claims he was unaware of more serious allegations of rape or rape.
What the victims say
One of the victims interviewed by the journalists said that in the 1990s, she worked as a personal assistant of Mr. Al Fayed in the Harrods store. One evening after work, she said, she was invited to his luxury suite in a large house overlooking London’s Hyde Park. Mr. Fayed asked her to sit on the bed and put his hand on her leg, letting her know what he wanted. “I remember feeling his body on top of me, his weight. I could just hear him making those sounds. And… I just sink somewhere inside myself. He raped me,” said the victim.
Another woman named Sophia, 1988-1991. who worked as M. Al Fayed’s personal assistant, said that he repeatedly tried to rape her. At the same time, she, like others, was afraid of being unemployed. “I didn’t have my parents’ house to go back to, I had to pay rent. I knew I had to go through with it, but I didn’t want to. It was horrible, everything turned upside down in my head,” she said.
Another victim, Gemma, 2007-2009. worked as one of Mr. Al Fayed’s personal assistants. She said his behavior became increasingly frightening during work trips abroad. It culminated in a rape in Paris – at the Windsor Villa in the Forest of Boulogne. Gemma said that she woke up one day to find Mr. Al Fayed standing next to her bed in nothing but a silk robe. He tried to climb into her bed.
“I told him, ‘No, I don’t want you to do that.’ He kept trying to get into the bed and then he was kind of on top of me and I really couldn’t move anywhere. I was lying face down on the bed, and he just pressed himself to me,” the woman recalled.
She says she was crying after Mr Al Fayed raped her and he got up and aggressively told her to wash with Dettol.
“Obviously he wanted me to erase any trace of him being around me,” she explains.
Eight other women told the BBC they were also sexually assaulted at his home in Paris. Five women described the attacks as attempted rape.
Many women are considering taking legal action against Harrods. Lawyers for the victims say there was an apparent attempt by Harrods senior staff to hush up the matter.” Harrods has not commented on the allegations.
“Today’s Harrods is very different from 1985-2010. Al Fayed owned and operated Harrods. It aims to make employee well-being the foundation of our business. <...> in 2023 As new information emerged about the historic allegations of sexual harassment against Mr. Al Fayed, our priority was to resolve these claims as quickly as possible. This process continues to be available to all current and former Harrods employees,” the comment said.
When Mr. Al Fayed died, his assets, according to unconfirmed data, exceeded 1 billion. pounds sterling. However, according to the women who were affected, it was not the money that motivated them to speak out. “I’ve been quiet for so many years,” says Gemma, “and I’m hoping that talking about it will help.” I hope my story will help someone now. We can all start to feel better and heal.”
Who was Mohamed Al Fayed
Vida Press photo/Mohamed Al Fayed and Princess Diana
Mr. Al Fayed’s business career began on the streets of Alexandria (Egypt), where he sold soda to passers-by. His marriage to the sister of a millionaire arms dealer in Saudi Arabia helped him make the right connections and build a business empire. in 1974 Mr. Al Fayed moved to the United Kingdom and started running Harrods.
At the same time, Mr. Al Fayed made every effort to gain a foothold in the British government. He bought an estate in London and Balnagoun Castle in the Scottish Highlands, sponsored the Royal Horse Show in Windsor and was active in charity work supporting royal projects. Under Margaret Thatcher, Mr. Al Fayed convinced his friend, the fabulously wealthy Sultan of Brunei, to support the plummeting British pound. Thanks to Mr. Al Fayed’s connections, British companies in the Middle East could earn about 10 billion. dollars.
The businessman became known around the world due to the relationship of his son, producer Dodi Al Fayed, with Princess Diana. Mohamed was very much looking forward to his son’s marriage to Princess Diana. However, both died in 1997. In a car accident in Paris.
Source: www.15min.lt
