Mohamed Al Fayed escaped charges of sexual abuse twice

Prosecutors have admitted they twice failed to bring charges against Mohamed Al Fayed, who is now accused of being a serial rapist who raped, sexually abused and threatened women for decades.

Lawyers have been contacted by more than 150 survivors and witnesses in the past two days after a documentary emerged featuring the stories of five women who alleged he raped them and about 15 others who said they were sexually abused.

Amid suggestions the billionaire was an abuser on the scale of Jimmy Savile, Harvey Weinstein or Jeffrey Epstein, the Crown Prosecution Service admitted it had decided not to bring charges after police presented him with evidence on two separate occasions.

It has been widely reported that prosecutors felt there was insufficient evidence to bring the case.