Billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed faces a slew of new allegations of sexual assault dating back almost half a century.
The avalanche of rape and assault claims began last month with a BBC documentary saying at least 20 women who worked at Harrods in London said they were raped or molested by the flamboyant Egyptian tycoon, who bought the iconic department store in 1985.
However, since then 65 women have approached the broadcaster with similar demands dating back to 1977, before it bought Harrods.
This suggests that Al Fayed's reign of sexual terror, first reported in the 1990s but repeatedly neglected by police to prosecute, may have continued even longer and more extensively than already feared.
Although he died five years ago at the age of 83, lawyers are now acting on behalf of many victims, much more than the lawyers who spoke to the BBC, seeking compensation and some form of justice.
Harrods told the BBC yesterday: “Since the documentary aired, over 200 people are now involved in Harrods' process to settle their claims directly with the company.”
Billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed (pictured) faces multiple new sexual assault allegations dating back almost half a century
Since a BBC documentary was released with allegations against the former owner of Harrods (pictured), a further 65 women have come forward
Of the 65 new 'victims' who came forward to the BBC in the last three weeks, 37 worked for Harrods (pictured)
Of the 65 new “victims” who approached the BBC in the last three weeks, 37 worked for Harrods.
However, a further 28 failed to do so, claiming he carried out horrific sexual attacks on them under the guise of employing them as domestic staff, simply in the course of an obscure 'interview' or even against a member of BBC staff.
The earliest allegation, dating back to 1977, came from a 72-year-old woman named Sheenagh, who waived her anonymity to tell reporters that the document made her ask herself: “Was I the beginning?”
She was in Dubai at the time, working in a bank, and her husband was working on a construction site. The emirate was in its infancy at the time, but there was also Al Fayed, who had made a fortune by winning lucrative contracts, including to build a port.
According to Sheenagh, the tycoon in his 40s was one of her clients at the bank and after repeatedly striking up a conversation with her, he invited her to a “job meeting” at his nearby office.
As she sat across from him at the desk, she claimed, he walked up behind her and continued: “When I turned around, hands were placed on my shoulders. His hands were everywhere.
Sheenagh said she fled to the door to avoid the sexual assault and only managed to do so after punching him.
She claimed she told her, “You might regret this,” and then began stalking her.
Sheenagh stated that there were 20 incidents of harassment at work, on the street, in her social club and in the supermarket, during which he repeated his vicious threats and, at times, even groped her again.
Above are five former Harrods employees who spoke about Al Fayed's alleged harassment. Pictured from left to right: Jen, Lindsay and Catherine. Above from left to right are Nicole and Gemma
Since then, sixty-five women have approached the BBC with similar claims dating back to 1977, before Al-Fayed (pictured) bought Harrods
In the photo: Al-Fayed in 2005 at the unveiling of the monument to his son Dodi and Diana, Princess of Wales
Gemma, who worked for Fayed between 2007 and 2009, is one of his accusers and appeared in a BBC documentary
It wasn't until she learned he had left Dubai that she breathed a sigh of relief – but she waited until 2015, when her husband was practically on his deathbed, to finally tell him what had happened, saying: “It was the only secret I ever I hid from him.” '.
She added that she regretted not telling authorities before Al Fayed's death.
Another new victim outside Harrods, using the pseudonym Margot, testified that she saw Al Fayed's advertisement in The Lady magazine in 1985 and, at the age of 19, applied for a job as a nanny and governess. A photo was requested.
But she was surprised that her conversation ended with the question “do I have a boyfriend or have I ever had a boyfriend.” The interviewer “looked reassured” when she said she had never done this.
Margot said she got the job – at her mother's insistence, in an attempt to complete a month's trial period – and was driven in a chauffeur-driven limousine to Al Fayed's estate, Barrow Green Court in Oxted.
Once inside, she was called on an extension phone from her small, dark bedroom and almost always found herself alone with Al Fayed, in the indoor pool, in the garden or in the study, and was then sexually assaulted.
She said he eventually raped her in her bed at night before she demanded to leave – despite being offered a home – and after “holding her against my will for several days” she finally got out with a warning to keep quiet.
“He didn't need a nanny,” Margot said. “I was recruited as a potential sexual partner or plaything.”
Other women told the BBC they experienced similar violence after being falsely employed as nannies, cooks or maids. Allegations were also made by the florist and even the BBC make-up artist who prepared Al Fayed for the interview.
