Mohamed Al Fayed had a genuine "human trafficking network" that allowed him to abuse dozens of women in the United Kingdom, United States, France, Malaysia, and Dubai, according to lawyers representing over 100 women who claim to be victims of the Egyptian magnate and former owner of Harrods, who passed away at the age of 94 in 2023. The new accusations have coincided with recent revelations that the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to press charges against Al Fayed on two occasions, in 2009 and 2015. In both cases (including a complaint from a 15-year-old for sexual assault), prosecutors concluded that there was not enough evidence to incriminate him.
Three other investigations (2018, 2021, and 2023) were also opened subsequently, and investigators planned to question the Egyptian magnate, who did not testify citing health reasons days before his death.
According to The Times, Richard Meeran, one of the victims' lawyers, stated that the Al Fayed case "presents extensive and extreme traces of human trafficking."
The former owner of Harrods allegedly had the complicity of his head of security, former police officer John McNamara, who passed away in 2019. Several women claim to have received direct threats against them and their families made by McNamara.
Michale Cole, Harrods' public relations director from 1988 to 1998, is another member of his inner circle under suspicion. Cole previously defended Al Fayed by stating that he "had done more good for the world than all his critics combined." In recent days, following the airing of the BBC documentary Al Fayed: a sexual predator at Harrods, he has chosen to remain silent.
Katherine Spence, a woman who served as Al Fayed's spokesperson during his 25 years as Harrods' owner, is also under scrutiny after "vehemently denying" the accusations made by the 15-year-old in 2008 and 2009.
According to The Mail On Sunday, Al Fayed sexually assaulted three flight attendants who worked on his Gulf Stream private plane and have decided to join the collective action against the former owner of Harrods.
Fulham Football Club, the London-based Premier League team that he acquired, has publicly acknowledged that the female team players were warned not to be alone with Al Fayed, who had a preference for blonde women.