Last month the BBC heard testimony from more than 20 female ex-Harrods employees who accuse the billionaire of sexual assault and rape.
The documentary and podcast – Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods – gathered evidence that, during Al Fayed’s ownership, Harrods not only failed to intervene, but helped cover up abuse allegations.
Harrods’ current owners said they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations and that his victims had been failed – for which the store sincerely apologised.
The department store is also carrying out an independent review which began in 2023.
Since the broadcast, dozens of women have contacted the BBC to say they were abused by Al Fayed.
On Thursday, the BBC reported 65 women contacted the broadcaster to say there were abused by Al Fayed, with allegations stretching beyond Harrods and as far back as 1977.
It suggests he used a broader range of abuse tactics and also targeted women employed outside his businesses.
Several of the new 65 women interviewed allege they were recruited by Al Fayed under false pretences into roles on the billionaire’s domestic staff and were then sexually exploited by him – including at his mansion in Oxted.
The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), has told the BBC it has asked the Metropolitan Police whether anything needs to be referred to it for investigation and internal force review is ongoing.
An IOPC spokesperson said: “Following the TV documentary on Mohamed Al-Fayed, we contacted the Metropolitan Police Service to see whether it had received any related complaints or identified any conduct issues which would require a referral to the IOPC.”
The Met Police is conducting a review, the spokesperson added, and the watchdog has not yet had any referrals about the force’s handling of the allegations.
