Harrods billionaire accused: "He was a monster"

Harrods' former owner, the late billionaire Mohamed al-Fayed, is accused in a new BBC documentary of several cases of rape and assault.

» Published: September 19 2024

Harrods billionaire accused: "He was a monster"
Photo: Sang Tan/AP/TT

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The BBC has spoken to over 20 women who worked at the department store Harrods from the 1980s onwards. Five of them testify that they were raped by al-Fayed.

The assaults are said to have taken place in London, Paris, Saint Tropez, and Abu Dhabi. One of the women recounts being raped as a teenager in al-Fayed's apartment in London.

Mohamed al-Fayed was a monster, a sexual predator who totally lacked a moral compass, she says in the documentary.

She describes it as al-Fayed viewing the Harrods employees as his "toys".

We were all so scared. He actively cultivated the fears.

The new testimonies follow several allegations made against al-Fayed during the #MeToo movement in 2017. None of the allegations then led to prosecution.

Mohamed al-Fayed, who passed away last year at the age of 94, was a prominent figure in British business through the venerable department store Harrods. He also gained attention in connection with his son Dodi al-Fayed's relationship with British Princess Diana. They were killed in the same car accident in 1997.

Harrods has in the past year reached financial settlements with several of the women who have come forward.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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