Met only sought Al Fayed charges for two victims

Al Fayed pictured in 2008

The Metropolitan Police only asked prosecutors to decide whether to charge Mohamed Al Fayed in relation to two out of 21 women who accused him of sexual offences while he was alive, the BBC has established.

It raises serious questions about the Met’s response to women who said they were abused by the former Harrods owner, who died aged 94 last year.

The BBC has also found that a woman was investigated for aiding and abetting rape by Al Fayed.

Scotland Yard had refused to answer the BBC’s questions about how many women it sought charging decisions on, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provided the information.

After the BBC revealed the news on Saturday, Scotland Yard provided further information.

The force says it also sought early investigative advice from the CPS in relation to allegations from 10 other women. Full files of evidence were not passed to the CPS for charging decisions.

The Met says claims from nine other women were reviewed by officers, and no further action was taken, with those police decisions taken in two cases after Al Fayed died in August last year.

Last month, a BBC documentary and podcast heard testimony from former Harrods employees who said the billionaire sexually assaulted or raped them. Al Fayed was never charged while he was alive.

Since the documentary aired, at least 65 women have contacted the BBC saying they were abused by Al Fayed, with allegations stretching beyond Harrods and as far back as 1977.

The Met stated that 21 women approached the force before the BBC film. The force revealed on Saturday that 60 further women have now contacted the force to report allegations against Al Fayed since the film.

The allegations received by the Met span several decades.

The force is conducting an internal review into these earlier complaints and the police watchdog has asked if anything needs to be referred to it for investigation.

Met questions mount

The CPS has now told the BBC that, in 2009, it made a charging decision on two allegations of sexual assault in relation to one female complainant.

Then, in 2015, it made a charging decision on one allegation of rape and an allegation of aiding and abetting rape by one female suspect. These allegations related to a different female complainant.

It means the Met did not pass full files of evidence to prosecutors on 19 of the women who approached them, nor did the two files it did pass contain complaints from other women whose evidence could have potentially provided corroboration.

Many people will be astonished that a man could be accused of sexual offences by 21 women and not be charged. Given that 60 further women have approached the Met since the BBC film, there are now mounting questions about the quality of the Met’s earlier enquiries.

These include why the Met did not link the different cases or launch a larger investigation that might have found other women who have now come forward.

Zoe Billingham, who was Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary between 2009 and 2021, said the revelations about the actions of police were “shocking”.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said: “It beggars belief that 21 women came forward to the Met with presumably very similar allegations about a wealthy man in a position of extreme power and authority and yet nothing happened, again.

"There should have been a full investigation. And this raises questions…. Were the police building a proper file for the prosecution in the first place?"

She added: “There is a broader question here - that’s the question of culture. At that time, and perhaps even now, were woman coming forward with these types of allegations being taken seriously, were they being listened to or were they being fobbed off.”

A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: "We are carrying out full reviews of all existing allegations reported to us about Al Fayed to ensure there are no new lines of enquiry based on new information which has emerged.

"This includes liaising with the Directorate of Professional Standards where appropriate."

The force said investigators are reviewing new information which has come to light, in an effort to establish if there are any allegations of criminality that can be pursued against others who may have had some involvement in any offending.

Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods

A BBC investigation into allegations of rape and attempted rape by Mohamed Al Fayed, the former owner of Harrods. Did the luxury store protect a billionaire predator?

Watch Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods on BBC iPlayer now.

Listen to World of Secrets, Season 4: Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods on BBC Sounds. If you’re outside the UK, you can listen wherever you get your podcasts.