Three women have come forward with serious allegations of sexual abuse against Mohamed Al Fayed and his brother Salah Fayed, who were prominent figures at Harrods department store between 1989 and 1997.
Helen, who has waived her anonymity, shared her traumatic experience of being raped by Mohamed Al Fayed during a business trip to Dubai in 1989. After the incident, she was told to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which silenced her for 35 years.
Seeking to escape her situation, Helen accepted work from Salah Fayed. During this assignment, she alleges that Salah drugged her with a champagne and crack cocaine, and then raped her while she was unconscious. She believes Salah’s friend also sexually assaulted her that night.
Two additional women, Rachael and Rebecca, provided similar accounts of abuse by both brothers. Rachael, who worked as Salah’s personal assistant in 1994, described being introduced to men who sexually propositioned her and being encouraged to smoke crack cocaine. She was later sexually assaulted by Mohamed Al Fayed.
Rebecca, then 19 years old, was also sexually assaulted by Mohamed and later invited to Monaco to work for Salah. She recalls being pressured into a hot tub where Salah sexually assaulted her and was tricked into smoking crack cocaine.
The women’s experiences suggest a pattern of systematic abuse, including:
– Targeting young female employees at Harrods
– Using drugs to incapacitate victims
– Exploiting professional relationships
– Potentially trafficking women between locations
– Using non-disclosure agreements to prevent reporting
Salah Fayed, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2010, was one of three brothers who purchased Harrods in 1985. The women describe feeling trapped and manipulated, with Helen stating, “They’ve stolen a part of me.”
Harrods, which came under new ownership in 2010, has responded by encouraging the survivors to come forward through their compensation scheme. The company stated they hope the women will pursue justice through appropriate channels, including police or legal action against the Fayed family.
Helen, breaking her silence after decades, expressed her motivation for speaking out: “I want to stand up for victims of abuse, whether corporate or domestic, to let them know that they can speak up too.”
The allegations reveal a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse within the high-profile Harrods organization, highlighting issues of power, exploitation, and systemic silence that prevented these women from seeking justice earlier.
The BBC investigation provides a platform for these women to share their experiences and potentially encourage other survivors to come forward.
