More sex attack claims against Fayed emerge
A woman has recounted to the BBC a “sickening” sexual assault by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed, which occurred after she was invited to his London flat for a work meeting. The woman, identified by the BBC as Melanie, believes police were on the verge of arresting him based on her allegations just days before his death in August 2023.
A BBC investigation released on Thursday revealed that over 20 women have accused the billionaire of sexual assault, with five claiming they were raped. Melanie is among a growing number of former Harrods employees who have come forward since the documentary and podcast Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods aired.
The investigation indicated that during Fayed’s tenure, Harrods not only neglected to intervene but actively helped conceal allegations of abuse. Melanie’s account surfaces as new information emerges regarding unsuccessful attempts by law enforcement and prosecutors to hold Fayed accountable while he was alive. A legal team representing several of the women interviewed by the BBC is set to announce their next steps on Friday.
Melanie, who worked at Harrods for a few years before 2010, described her hiring at the age of 21 as a “dream job.”
She met Fayed—who was in his late seventies—during work meetings on two occasions before being invited to his Park Lane apartment in late 2007. Despite feeling uneasy about the invitation, she attended the evening meeting and was led into the sitting room by a housekeeper.
Melanie continued: “He sat down next to me, talking to me for a few minutes, not very long… He had asked that I return a couple of weeks later to stay at the apartments the night before the Harrods sale, and I could go to the Harrods sale with him, and I could meet the celebrity that was opening it.
“And he would not really let me leave until I agreed to that, so I said yes to be able to leave. I did not go back.
“As I stood to leave, that’s when he put his hands on my breast and said some pretty disgusting things. And I was in complete shock. I just turned around and walked out.”
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?
Melanie told the BBC she did not share the full details of the “sickening” experience with loved ones, and for years “felt it was my fault” because she was “naive enough to have gone”. She described Fayed as a “sleazebag” and “slimy”.
In January 2023 Melanie decided to go to the police. The BBC has seen emails showing the case was passed to the Met’s CID department, which investigates serious allegations.
Melanie says she was later told the Met planned to arrest Fayed that year, and officers tried to arrest him on two occasions.
But he was too unwell to be questioned, and he died age 94 in August 2023.
Melanie was not the only woman who tried to bring Fayed to justice.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed it was “aware of various allegations of sexual offences made over a number of years” against Fayed.
It said each of the allegations reported to the force had been “investigated and, where appropriate, advice from the Crown Prosecution Service was sought”.
But Fayed was never charged with a crime.
The closest he came to being uncovered appears to have been in October 2008, when he was questioned over allegations made by a girl who he first met when she was 14.
Ellie – not her real name – told the BBC that Fayed personally offered to secure her a job despite her still being a teenager, and she started working at Harrods when she had just turned 15.
She recounted how in May 2008 she was told to go to the Harrods boardroom, where she said she was attacked by Fayed.
“He started…hugging me and [getting] touchy feely, and rubbing himself against me, and then he just grabbed my face and tried to… put his tongue in my mouth.
“I mentioned that I was 15, and [said] ‘what are you doing?’, and he said I was turning into a beautiful woman and grabbed my chest.”
She said Fayed flew into a rage and started screaming at her when she pushed him off.
Ellie went to the police and Fayed was questioned by detectives – news which became public in October 2008.
