Summary

  • Five women who say they were sexually assaulted by former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed have spoken to BBC Breakfast

  • One woman, Katherine, says in her first week at Harrods, Fayed would rip the buttons off her shirt and tell her to get her hair straightened and lip waxed

  • Another woman, Gemma, says Fayed raped her in Paris, with the trauma "lifelong"

  • Lindsay says she was "trafficked" to Paris and taken to Dodi Fayed's flat, with the doors locked behind her: "It was the most terrifying night of my life"

  • "He was not a gregarious, charity-giving clown," says Jen. "He was a dangerous sexual predator"

  • In total, more than 20 women have told the BBC they were sexually assaulted by the billionaire. Five say they were raped

  • Fayed, who died last year aged 94, owned Harrods between 1985 and 2010 - Harrods' current owners say they are "utterly appalled" by the allegations

Victims of Mohamed Al Fayed tell BBC of alleged rape and trafficking

Live Reporting

Edited by Owen Amos

  1. What are the allegations against Fayed?

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

  2. Women who accuse Mohamed Al Fayed of abuse speak to BBC

    In the next hour, several women who accuse the late Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed of sexual abuse will speak to our colleagues on BBC Breakfast.

    The interviews follow a BBC investigation that heard from more than 20 women who say they were abused by Fayed.

    Fayed sold Harrods in 2010. The current owners say they are "utterly appalled" by the allegations and that his victims had been failed.

    You can watch BBC Breakfast by pressing watch live at the top of the page, and stay here for updates.