The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has revealed that it twice decided not to bring sex abuse charges against Mohamed Al Fayed, who passed away last year at the age of 94. Recently, fresh allegations against the late billionaire, who owned Harrods, have surfaced, leading dozens of women to speak out about sexual assault and rape they claim to have suffered at his hands. In response, the CPS confirmed that it had considered prosecuting Fayed in 2009 and 2015 but had concluded on both occasions that there was not a realistic chance of a conviction.
The first time the police investigated Fayed was in 2008, when a 15-year-old girl complained that he had assaulted her in the Harrods boardroom. They passed their evidence to the CPS, but no further action was taken. Three investigations into claims made by other women also reached advanced stages, and although the CPS was called in to advise detectives, none resulted in full file evidence being passed to the prosecutors.
The former Harrods owner is reported to have sexually assaulted or raped more than 20 women while they worked at the luxury department store in London. The BBC contacted the legal team representing many of the women who alleged that they had been assaulted by Fayed, with Harrods’ current owners outlining their case against the store on Friday, expressing horror at the claims, accepting vicarious responsibility for Fayed’s actions and promising compensation.
The number of alleged victims of Fayed is currently approaching 150, with accusations of abuse all over the world, including in the US, UK, France, Canada, Malaysia, and Dubai. Lawyers for the victims are currently taking legal action against the new owner of Harrods. Fayed bought Harrods in 1985 and sold the store in 2010
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