Lawyers call ex-Harrods boss Al-Fayed a 'monster' who sexually abused dozens of women
Canadians among women the late billionaire is alleged to have raped and assaulted
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
There are three Canadians among the women who say they were sexually abused by Mohamed Al-Fayed, the late owner of Harrods, while serving as employees at the luxury department store in London, CBC News has learned.
The BBC reported the women's allegations in a documentary and podcast released Thursday, after an investigation heard from more than 20 former Harrods employees who say the billionaire assaulted or raped them. Some were as young as teenagers when they say the alleged incidents took place.
Details about the allegations were outlined at a news conference on Friday that included the legal team featured in the BBC documentary, high-profile American lawyer Gloria Allred and a woman who spoke of harrowing experiences while working at Harrods.
Al-Fayed, who died in 2023 at the age of 94, faced some sexual assault claims while he was still living, but the BBC says these new allegations are of an "unprecedented scale and seriousness."
On Friday, the lawyers described him as a "monster" who abused young women and girls who worked at the department store during his 25-year ownership. Dean Armstrong said he and the three other lawyers who spoke are representing 37 women in total, and he expects that number could grow.
Lawyer Bruce Drummond, part of the legal team, said most of the women were 19 to 24 years old when they were subjected to what he described as "one of the worst cases of corporate sexual exploitation that certainly I and perhaps the world has ever seen."
"It's mad that even today I am petrified of someone who is no longer alive," one of the women, who began working for Al-Fayed in 2007 as his personal assistant, told the BBC.
"It started off verbal and groping and progressed pretty quickly."
She and other female employees were also subject to invasive medical exams, the woman said. These examinations were pitched as company perks, but many employees reported never seeing the results, although they were always shared with Al-Fayed.
A 'lion's den' of sexual misconduct
One of Al Fayed's alleged victims who spoke on Friday and went by the name Natacha said she worked at the Harrods store in London when she was 19.
"I was subjected to AIDS and STD testing without consent, and now believe in hindsight I was checked for my purity," she said.
Natacha said when she was hired, Al-Fayed would ask "kind and caring" questions, but she later found she had "walked into a lion's den, a layer of cover-ups, deceit, lies, manipulation, humiliation and gross sexual misconduct," which included forced kisses and other kinds of sexual assault.
The alleged abuse was not limited to London. Victims reported multiple incidents in Paris, St. Tropez and Abu Dhabi.
Some ex-employees say Al-Fayed forced his way into their room on business trips. Others say he would carry out his exploits on Harrods property, promoting employees whom he found attractive to work in his offices at the department store.
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, before moving to London in the 1970s, Al-Fayed came to prominence in British society in 1985 when he took over Harrods.
He gained further notoriety when his son, Dodi Fayed, began dating Diana, Princess of Wales, shortly before they both died after a car crash in Paris in 1997.
The Crown portrayal offended many survivors
Al-Fayed, whose enterprises included the Hôtel Ritz in Paris and helping to fund the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, was introduced to younger generations through the Netflix series The Crown.
His charming, philanthropic portrayal in the series offended many survivors who say he was "vile," and "a monster," the BBC reported.
In an online statement, Harrods said it is "utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse" and that the business failed its employees.
"The Harrods of today is a very different organization to the one owned and controlled by Al-Fayed between 1985 and 2010," the business said.
The statement went on to detail a reparations process that was put in place in 2023 for victims of Al-Fayed "to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved."
In a brief email to CBC News, the business said it stood by the response in its statement but added that it will "welcome any new information regarding allegations relating to the issues raised in the BBC documentary."
For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database.
For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services.
If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
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