Following media coverage relating to allegations against the late Mohamed Al Fayed and a public appeal for people to come forward and speak to police, the Met has been contacted by numerous people reporting their experiences.
The police continue to ask anyone who has been a victim of Al Fayed, anyone with information they feel that police should be aware of relating to his activities, or those who facilitated the offending to get in contact.
“Specialist detectives are available to listen to you, formally record any allegations, and signpost you to any support you may need,” said a statement by the police.
Commander Stephen Clayman said: “Since the broadcast of the documentary and our recent appeal, detectives have received numerous pieces of information, predominantly relating to the activities of Mohamed Al Fayed but some relating to the actions of others.
“This has led to us record 40 new allegations, relating to 40 victim-survivors and covering offences including sexual assault and rape across a time period between 1979 and 2013. These are in addition to allegations we were aware of prior to the broadcast.
“I recognise the courage it will have taken for people to take that step to speak to us about their experiences and I want to reassure anyone who has yet to make contact that we have specially trained detectives who will listen to you and support you.
“All these reports will need to be formally logged and assessed to see if there are any allegations of criminality that can be pursued. This will take time, but we will ensure those who contact us are kept updated with progress.
“We also continue work to make contact with lawyers representing individuals who have come directly to them, to ensure they are aware of our request to speak to police so any crimes can be recorded and the relevant support provided.
“While the majority of information we have received relates to Al Fayed’s ownership of Harrods, we are contacting representatives of other organisations linked to Al Fayed to ensure anyone affected is identified and has the opportunity to speak with us.”
According to the Met police, it is important to make clear at this stage that it is not possible for criminal proceedings to be brought against someone who has died, meaning there is no prospect of any conviction relating to Al Fayed himself.
“However, we continue to explore whether any other individuals could be pursued for any criminal offences.
“A full review of allegations previously made to police continues. We have now identified 21 separate allegations reported to us about Al Fayed prior to the recent media broadcast. This review will ensure there are no new lines of enquiry based on new information which has emerged and will include liaising with the Directorate of Professional Standards where appropriate,” stated the police.
Previously, in addition to the 19 allegations we were already aware of, a further two allegations have now been identified relating to Al Fayed. These 21 allegations resulted in crimes being recorded involving Al Fayed relating to 21 separate women and were reported to the Met between 2005 and 2023.
The offences were alleged to have taken place between 1979 and 2013. Of these reports, four were allegations of rape, 16 were sexual assault and one related to trafficking.
Between 2005 and 2023, we approached the Crown Prosecution Service on five occasions – two of these, in 2009 and 2015, were to pass full files of evidence. The remaining three approaches were for early investigative advice.
In all 21 allegations that were reported to police there was no further action taken against Mohamed Al Fayed.
