Mohamed Al Fayed’s accuser says complaint dismissed by manager

Fresh allegations are being made about former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed by a former employee who says her manager “brushed it off” when she complained about inappropriate advances.

The woman, named Catherine, contacted the BBC after other women this week reported they had been sexually abused by the late billionaire.

Catherine said she was a 21-year-old Harrods employee when she was called into Fayed’s office, where Fayed made “awkward” advances, including a kiss on her forehead, an invitation to work in his office and a comment that he was her boyfriend.

Harrods’ current owners said earlier this week they were “utterly shocked” by the allegations and that “victims have been let down”.

They said they were not aware of any allegations before 2023, but lawyers for the dozens of female complainants say this is “unthinkable” and argue the owners would have carried out due diligence when they bought the company in 2010.

Lawyers allege Fayed was attacked around the world, including in the US, Canada, France, Malaysia and Dubai.

“It really is a global case, it’s not just the UK. It happened all over the world,” lawyer Bruce Drummond told the BBC.

Catherine says her experience took place at Harrods’ flagship store in London.

When she told her manager about the incident, it was dismissed as nonsense. She sees it as an example of the wider culture of ‘collusion’ at Harrods, which enabled Fayed’s behaviour.

“I explained to my manager what had happened… and he just brushed it off and said, ‘Oh you know, that’s just the way he is,'” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

She had a “very junior role” when she went on a weekend She was ordered to bring shop musicians to Fayed’s office, whereupon he asked her to return immediately.

“Then I went back upstairs and we went into a little room in the back, just him and I,” she said.

Fayed invited her to work in his office, she said, but she declined because it wasn’t in her area of ​​expertise.

“He grabbed my hand and asked if I had a boyfriend. I smiled politely and said yes.

“And he said, ‘No, you don’t have a boyfriend, I’m your boyfriend, you don’t need that donkey.’ That was weird and I was obviously feeling more and more uncomfortable at that point.”

She said Fayed then kissed her on the forehead, told her to think about the job and gave her £300 in cash, which she returned shortly afterwards, along with a formal rejection of the offer.

“He kissed me on my forehead. I know a lot of people have mentioned this whole fatherly approach thing, but I have limits. It was horrible, and you know, holding my hand, being so close, it wasn’t normal,” she said.

She says she contacted the BBC this week to amplify the allegations against Fayed.

More than 20 women have told the BBC the businessman sexually abused or raped them while they worked at luxury department store Harrods in London.

A legal team represents at least 37 women involved in civil lawsuits. They say they have received 150 new applications since the BBC investigation was published last week.

Catherine said her experience “feels like nothing at all” compared to the rape allegations – but I think it’s important to gather evidence of a pattern of behaviour and culture.

She condemned the working environment at Harrods, which she said regularly allowed such actions to take place – claims the department store has denied. Harrods was owned by Fayed from 1985 to 2010 and is now under new ownership – which this week said the business was operating differently than it did under Fayed.

Catherine told the BBC: “It was more or less known that he behaved in a certain way and harassed young women. Young women were recruited to work on the shop floor or in his office.

“And that seemed to go without any doubt.”

Her comments have been echoed by other prosecutors who said that many people at Harrods were aware of Fayed’s alleged behaviour. Concerns have also been raised about his behaviour at Fulham Football Club, which he previously owned.

“I think there were people at Harrods at the time who were complicit and they are just as guilty as Fayed because they were not just passive bystanders. They helped one girl after another into a total nightmare,” Catherine said.

She has called for “individuals” to be identified and “questioned about their complicity”.

“It is in fact a form of child abuse, as the evidence suggests, and they should be brought to justice,” she added.

Catherine’s testimony comes as more women are speaking out about Fayed’s behavior. New details have also emerged about failed attempts by police and prosecutors to hold Fayed accountable during his lifetime.

A legal team representing many of the women the BBC spoke to outlined their case against Harrods on Friday.

The store’s new owners said: “These were the actions of an individual who sought to abuse his power wherever he operated and we strongly condemn his actions.”

“We also recognize that his victims have been let down during this time and for that we offer our sincere apologies.”

According to Mr Drummond, one of the women’s lawyers, the number of allegations coming forward was “huge”.

“This is the worst case of corporate sexual exploitation of young women the world has ever seen.”