Summary

'He was a predator': Watch the moment victim says she no longer feels afraid

Live Reporting

Edited by Dulcie Lee and Sean Seddon

  1. Who was Mohamed Al Fayed?

    Mohamed Al Fayed, wearing a tartan-style jacket, smile and looks off to the right (file photo from 2013)PA Media

    A billionaire businessman who owned Harrods between 1985 and 2010, the father of Dodi Fayed who died in a car crash with Princess Diana in 1997, and now - a year after his death - a man accused of raping and sexually assaulting a number of his employees.

    Mohamed Al Fayed is known for many things - here's a brief reminder of his life.

    Who was he and how did he die?

    Fayed, originally from Egypt, built a business empire in the Middle East before moving to the UK in the 1970s - and taking over Harrods in 1985. He also owned Fulham Football Club and the Ritz Hotel in Paris.

    He died last year, aged 94, and spent the end of his life largely out of the public limelight, living in his Surrey mansion with his wife.

    Where are Fayed's children now?

    Fayed had five children - the most famous of which, undoubtedly, was Dodi. He died in 1997, aged 42, alongside Princess Diana in a car crash. The pair had a brief romance in the weeks leading up to their deaths.

    Fayed, and his son, became known to a new generation through the two most recent Netflix series of The Crown.

    Princess Diana, pictured smiling in the 1980s, handing a glass trophy plate to Prince Charles, who has his back to the camera wearing a sports t shirt with a number two written on it. She has short blonde hair, a white blouse and chunky black belt. Mohamed Al Fayed is pictured at the right of the shot, smiling at them both, in the conversation, wearing a dark suit. A crowd of spectators are behind them.Getty Images

    Fayed had courted the Royal Family for years

  2. What has Harrods said?

    A street-level view of Harrods in London, with black cabs parked outside and the sun shining downPA Media

    The renowned department store sits on Brompton Road in London's Knightsbridge neighbourhood

    When he died last year, Mohamed Al Fayed no longer owned Harrods - in fact he hadn’t owned it for years.

    In a statement about these claims, the current owners have said:

    “We are utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed Al Fayed. These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms. We also acknowledge that during this time as a business we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise.

    “The Harrods of today is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010, it is one that seeks to put the welfare of our employees at the heart of everything we do.

    "This is why, since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved. This process is still available for any current or former Harrods employees.

    “While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organisation, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behaviour can never be repeated in the future.”

  3. The allegations in brief

    Mohamed Al Fayed, wearing a tartan-style jacket, pulls a disgruntled facial expression and looks off to the leftReuters

    One woman told the BBC it was "sickening" to have to continue working with Fayed

    The BBC has heard testimony from more than 20 female ex-Harrods employees who say the former owner of Harrods, Mohamed Al Fayed, sexually assaulted or raped them.

    Thirteen say Fayed sexually assaulted them at his luxury apartment, in a large block on Park Lane overlooking London's Hyde Park. Four of them say they were raped, including a woman who says she was a teenager at the time. Eight other women say they were sexually assaulted by Fayed at his properties in Paris - five describe these assaults as an attempted rape.

    Fayed faced sexual assault claims while he was alive, including in 2008 when police questioned him over allegations made by a girl who said Fayed attacked her in a Harrods boardroom. But it is only now, after his death, that many of the women have felt able to speak publicly about rape and attempted rape.

    Fourteen of the women the BBC has spoken to have brought civil claims against Harrods' current owners for damages.

  4. Lawyers to give update after further sex attack claims against Mohamed Al Fayed

    Lawyers for former Harrods employees who say they were raped and sexually assaulted by Mohamed Al-Fayed are giving a news conference shortly.

    It follows an investigation by the BBC, published on Thursday, revealed that more than 20 women said they were sexually assaulted by the billionaire. Five said they were raped.

    At around 10:00 BST, the legal team will outline the case against Harrods. They will be joined by the US women’s rights lawyer Gloria Allred, who has represented victims of high-profile offenders in the past.

    Fourteen of the women the BBC has spoken to have brought civil claims against Harrods' current owners for damages. Harrods, in London's Knightsbridge district, has not been owned by Fayed since 2010.

    Harrods said it has a settlement process available to women who say they were attacked by Fayed, adding "it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved".

    Harrods reiterated its apology to its former staff after the BBC investigation was published. A spokesperson said: "We have now had the opportunity to watch the programme and once again express our sympathy to the victims featured."