Harrods scandal: over 400 victims of Al Fayed’s alleged sexual abuse come forward
Lawyers representing the victims criticise Harrods’ compensation plan, citing concerns about potential conflicts of interest and a lack of transparency
More than 400 alleged victims have so far contacted the legal team working on a case against the late Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, who has been accused of sexual abuse and rape, lawyer Dean Armstrong said on Thursday.
A BBC documentary in September revealed Al Fayed, who died last year aged 94, sexually abused female staff at his London department store Harrods, forced them to have medical screenings and threatened consequences if they tried to complain.
“The sheer scale of abuse perpetrated by Al Fayed, and facilitated by those around him, sadly, continues to grow,” Armstrong told a news conference in London.
Al Fayed always denied similar accusations raised by other reports before his death. Harrods did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the lawyer’s remarks.
The store has apologised, said it was “appalled” by the allegations, and launched a process for any current or former Harrods employees who wish to claim compensation.
Another lawyer, Bruce Drummond, said the more than 400 claims have been made by women from around the world, mostly from Britain but also from the United States, Australia, Malaysia, Spain, South Africa and other countries.
