Police record 40 new allegations including rape and sexual assault against Mohamed al Fayed

Police have recorded 40 new allegations against Mohamed al Fayed including claims of rape and sexual assault.

Allegations against the billionaire former Harrods and Fulham FC owner, who died last year aged 94, have emerged following a BBC investigation and documentary about his behaviour in which several women accused him of abuse.

The Metropolitan Police said the new claims relate to 40 alleged victims - and are in addition to allegations relating to 21 separate women reported to the force between 2005 and 2023 that it was aware of prior to the broadcast last month.

Those offences were alleged to have taken place between 1979 and 2013. Four of the reports were allegations of rape, 16 were sexual assault and one related to trafficking, the Met said.

The Crown Prosecution Service was approached by the Met on five occasions between 2005 and 2023, the force said, but no further action was taken against Fayed.

The police force has urged anyone with allegations against Fayed to come forward, saying it would look to prosecute others in relation to the claims.

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Commander Stephen Clayman said on Friday: "Since the broadcast of the documentary and our recent appeal, detectives have received numerous pieces of information, predominantly relating to the activities of Mohamed al Fayed but some relating to the actions of others.

"This has led to us recording 40 new allegations, relating to 40 victim-survivors and covering offences including sexual assault and rape across a time period between 1979 and 2013. These are in addition to allegations we were aware of prior to the broadcast.

"I recognise the courage it will have taken for people to take that step to speak to us about their experiences and I want to reassure anyone who has yet to make contact that we have specially trained detectives who will listen to you and support you."

Mr Clayman added: "All these reports will need to be formally logged and assessed to see if there are any allegations of criminality that can be pursued. This will take time, but we will ensure those who contact us are kept updated with progress.

"We also continue work to make contact with lawyers representing individuals who have come directly to them, to ensure they are aware of our request to speak to police so any crimes can be recorded and the relevant support provided.

"While the majority of information we have received relates to Al Fayed's ownership of Harrods, we are contacting representatives of other organisations linked to Al Fayed to ensure anyone affected is identified and has the opportunity to speak with us."

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Lawyers acting for alleged victims of Fayed had said they expected more to come forward.

The Justice for Harrods Survivors group is planning legal action against the luxury department store.

It said last month it had fielded more than 200 calls and messages from around the world about its proposed legal claim.

A former Harrods employee told Sky News Fayed would "cherry pick" women from the shop floor and once they were called to his office they "couldn't say no".

Michael Ward, the managing director of Harrods, has previously said in a statement he was "not aware" of allegations of sexual abuse against Fayed, and admitted the business had "failed" its staff.

A spokesperson for Fulham FC told Sky News: "We remain in the process of establishing whether anyone at the club is or has been affected by the reports concerning Mr Al Fayed."

They added that anyone with information could contact the club or police.

(c) Sky News 2024: Police record 40 new allegations including rape and sexual assault against Mohamed al Fayed