Lawyers representing former Harrods employees who allege they were raped and sexually abused by the late billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed have described him as “a monster”. Today they exposed his “vast web of abuse”.
Several women have come forward claiming the late Egyptian businessman sexually abused them at his Knightsbridge store and at his luxury properties in the UK and beyond.
Al Fayed’s alleged abuse was so horrific that lawyers representing his victims have compared him to sex offenders Jimmy Savile and Jeffrey Epstein.
Harrods suffered from a ‘toxic’ culture under Al Fayed’s leadership, with the wealthy businessman ‘abusing his own employees for his own sexual gratification’ and attempting to ‘silence’ his vulnerable victims.
Attorney Bruce Drummond said at a news conference: “This is one of the worst cases of sexual exploitation I and perhaps the world have ever seen.
“It was horrible, just horrible. It’s horrible because of the acts that were committed on these women and girls.
‘It was appalling because it was the system that put them in place that enabled the abuse of these young women. And it is appalling because this sexual abuse and the institutional betrayal of Harrods has had a profound impact on our clients.’
Late billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed has been described as ‘a monster’ amid claims he raped multiple women who worked for him at Harrods
Al Fayed has been compared to sexual predators Jimmy Savile (left) and Jeffrey Epstein (right).
The photo shows one of Al Al Fayed’s alleged victims, who was known as Natacha (right), hugging one of her lawyers during the press conference
Lawyer Dean Armstrong KC told the press conference that Mohammed Al Fayed’s case “combines some of the most appalling elements of the Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein cases”.
He said, ‘I have many years of experience… I have never seen such a horrible thing.’
‘This case combines some of the most appalling elements of the Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein cases.
‘Savile because in this case, as in that case, the institution, we say, was aware of the behavior.
‘Epstein, because in that case, as in this case, there was a system of recruitment and selection to find the women and girls. As you know, these are very young victims.
‘And Weinstein, because it was a person at the top of the organization who abused his power.
“We will say outright: Mohammed Al Fayed was a monster.”
One of Mohamed Al Fayed’s alleged victims, who was known as Natacha, told the press conference that the billionaire businessman was “very manipulative.”
In chilling testimony at the press conference, Natacha described Harrods as “walking into a lion’s den” and said Al Fayed was “preying on the most vulnerable”.
Lawyer Bruce Durmmond (left) and Dean Armstrong KC, who represented the female former employees of Harrods
One of Mohamed Al Fayed’s alleged victims, known as Natacha (pictured), told the press conference that the billionaire businessman was “very manipulative.”
She called Al Fayed a “sick predator” and said: “Mohamed was clever and very manipulative.
‘He acted like a father figure, often saying ‘call me daddy’ and often talking about his family and children, as if he wanted me to feel safe with him.’
She continued: ‘Unbeknownst to me, I had entered a lion’s den, a cover-up, deceit, lies, manipulation, humiliation and serious sexual misconduct.
“The president focused on the most vulnerable: those who had to pay the rent and those who didn’t have parents to protect them.”
Regarding the alleged abuse Al Fayed inflicted on her, Natacha continued: ‘Mohamed Al Fayed, a sick predator, lured me with the same modus operandi he used time and time again.
“I was tested for AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases without my consent. And in retrospect, I think my purity was tested.”
Of the encounters with Al Fayed, Natacha said: ‘These private encounters turned more into a forced kiss, with his hands grabbing your face to his lips or pulling you onto his lap, leaving his hands free to explore any part of your body he wanted.
‘These incidents only lasted a few seconds, but the fear they caused paralyzed me.
‘Al Fayed waved away these moments as if they had never happened, but I was always reminded not to discuss them with anyone.’
Mr Armstrong KC said it was time for Harrods to ‘take responsibility’ and ‘put things right’.
He said at the press conference: ‘We are here to say publicly and to the world, or to Harrods in front of the world, that it is time for them to take responsibility and to put things right. That is something they need to do as soon as possible.
‘They must face responsibility and acknowledge that they are fully culpable for the abuse these women have suffered.
‘Today we are going to set out our claim and show that our claim demonstrates a flagrant failure in corporate social responsibility and that a safe system of work has not been provided.’
During the press conference, lawyer Maria Mulla recounted how female employees were tortured and threatened by the billionaire’s alleged sex mob.
Dean Armstrong KC, who appeared in ‘Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods’, speaks at a press conference to discuss the legal team’s involvement in the investigation and the legal claim against Harrods
Women were often made to “speak in a kind of code language” and if female employees ever complained they were “received threats along the lines of: you will never work in London again,” the lawyer said as she detailed the appalling allegations.
Mulla described the threats as follows: “I know where you and your family live,” said security officials reportedly working for Al Fayed.
“They were often demoted and had false accusations made against them, leaving them with no choice but to leave Harrods,” she added.
‘Threats about police action were also made by the security team.’
A woman who had the “courage and bravery” to report her assault in writing was threatened hours later.
‘A woman we represent was sexually assaulted and she had the courage and bravado to raise this in a formal written complaint to Harrods.
‘On the same day, the head of security, John Macnamara, said: ‘You’re a girl alone in London, someone could jump out of the bushes or you could have an accident,” Mulla said.
“Of course she did as she was told because she was terrified.”
Another woman tried to retreat to “get away from it for a while,” Mulla added, claiming the victim had also been threatened.
US attorney Gloria Allred said at the news conference that Harrods under Mohammed Al Fayed’s leadership was a “toxic, unsafe and violent environment”.
She said: ‘The allegations against Mohammed Al Fayed include serial rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse of minors. They include doctors performing invasive gynecological examinations as a condition of employment on some employees targeted for sexual abuse by Mohammed Al Fayed.
The allegations also include the improper disclosure to Mohammed Al Fayed of the results of investigations into employees he targeted for sexual abuse.
The allegations relate to cover-ups, threats and a quarter of a century of sexual abuse by Mohammed Al Fayed after he bought Harrods and became chairman.
‘Harrods is often called the most beautiful store in the world… Many women dreamed of working there, of being associated with this prestigious company and of further developing their careers.
‘But beneath the glitz and glamour of Harrods lay a toxic, unsafe and abusive environment.’
This is a developing story.
