Five women claimed Mohamed Al Fayed, the former owner of Harrods, had raped them while they were employed at Harrods, London's luxury department store, a BBC investigative report said.
BBC gathered testimony from more than 20 former female employees, many of whom claim the billionaire sexually assaulted or raped them. Al Fayed, who passed away last year at 94, was alleged to have committed these crimes during his ownership of Harrods.
The documentary and podcast, Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods, revealed evidence suggesting that not only did Harrods fail to intervene but had helped cover up the abuse. The store’s current owners expressed their shock and condemnation over the allegations, apologizing to the victims and acknowledging that they had been failed.
“The spider’s web of corruption and abuse in this company was unbelievable and very dark,” said barrister Bruce Drummond, who represents several of the women.
Since the initial report, more former Harrods employees have come forward, saying they were also assaulted by Al Fayed.
Allegations of rape across multiple cities
The incidents reportedly took place in locations including London, Paris, St. Tropez, and Abu Dhabi. One woman said Al Fayed raped her in his Park Lane apartment. “I made it obvious that I didn't want that to happen. I did not give consent. I just wanted it to be over,” she said.
Another woman, who said she was a teenager at the time, claimed Al Fayed raped her at the same Mayfair address. “Mohamed Al Fayed was a monster, a sexual predator with no moral compass whatsoever,” she said, adding that Harrods staff were treated as his “playthings.”
Fayed, whose son Dodi died in a car crash with Princess Diana in 1997, faced claims of sexual assault during his lifetime. However, the scale and severity of the recent allegations are unprecedented.
Harrods' toxic culture
Several women describe a toxic environment at Harrods when it was owned by Al Fayed. Sophia, who worked as his personal assistant from 1988 to 1991, said he attempted to rape her more than once. “That makes me angry; people shouldn’t remember him as pleasant. That’s not how he was,” she said.
Former staff members told the BBC that Al Fayed regularly scouted the sales floors, selecting attractive young female assistants to be promoted to work in his offices where many of the alleged assaults took place. Other claims were of assault in his London apartment, or during overseas trips to properties like the Ritz Hotel in Paris, which he also owned.
“We watched each other walk through that door thinking, ‘You poor girl, it's you today,’” said Alice, a former employee, recalling the fear and helplessness that surrounded the abuse.
Assaults in Paris and beyond
Rachel, who worked as Al Fayed’s assistant in the 1990s, said he raped her at his Park Lane apartment. “I remember feeling his body on me, the weight of him, and just hearing him make these noises,” she said. “He raped me.”
Sophia said she felt trapped in her job. “I couldn’t leave. I didn’t have a family home to go back to. I had to pay rent,” she said.
Gemma, who worked as one of Al Fayed’s assistants from 2007 to 2009, described a terrifying ordeal during a work trip to his Villa Windsor property in Paris. She said he raped her there, then instructed her to wash herself with Dettol. “He wanted me to erase any trace of him being near me,” she said.
Eight other women told the BBC they were sexually assaulted at Al Fayed’s Paris properties. and five described the attacks as attempted rape.
An open secret
Tony Leeming, a Harrods department manager from 1994 to 2004, said the abuse of women wasn’t a secret. “It wasn’t even a secret on the shop floor. Anyone who says they didn’t know is lying,” he said.
Several former Harrods security staff backed these claims, revealing that they were aware of Al Fayed’s inappropriate behavior toward young female employees. They also disclosed that some women underwent invasive sexual health checks, the results of which were sent to Al Fayed.
A culture of fear pervaded the store, with many employees believing their phones were tapped and that they were being filmed. Eamon Coyle, former deputy director of security, confirmed that part of his role was listening to recorded calls. “He [Al Fayed] bugged everybody he wanted to bug,” Coyle said.
Attempts to expose the abuse
Al Fayed faced scrutiny during his lifetime. A 1995 Vanity Fair article alleged racism, staff surveillance, and sexual misconduct. Fayed dropped a subsequent libel lawsuit, provided any further evidence of his misconduct would be locked away. Other media outlets, including ITV’s The Big Story and Channel 4’s Dispatches, also aired serious allegations against him.
Despite these reports, it is only now—after Al Fayed’s death—that many women feel able to speak publicly about rape and attempted rape. Several of them had been bound by non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which were used to suppress allegations in exchange for settlements.
Legal claims and settlements
In July 2023, Harrods’ current owners began settling civil claims brought by women who alleged that they were sexually assaulted while working at the store. Harrods has pledged to settle the claims quickly and without requiring NDAs.
The barristers representing the women argue that Harrods was responsible for creating an unsafe working environment. “Any place of work has a duty to ensure the safety of its employees. Without question, the company failed these ladies,” Drummond said. “They enabled it.”
Gemma, who was among those to sign an NDA after she was raped, said she hopes speaking out now will help others heal. “I’ve spent so many years being quiet, not speaking up,” she said. “I hope talking about it now helps.”