The Metropolitan Police has stated that it will investigate whether other individuals can be pursued for any criminal offences following allegations of abuse against former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed. This decision came after more than 20 former Harrods workers claimed that the billionaire sexually assaulted or raped them. Harrods’ managing director, Michael Ward, has expressed his regret and sorrow over the company’s failure to protect its employees and the toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion and sexual misconduct that he says Al Fayed presided over. Last week, the BBC published a documentary and podcast, Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods, that provided testimony from many of the victims.
The police are reaching out to the women who have come forward and say they are putting in place “specialist support” for those affected, after Harrods’ managing director said that the store failed their colleagues. According to the managing director, although there were rumors about Al Fayed’s behavior in the public domain, no charges or allegations were made by the police, internal channels, or the Crown Prosecution Service. Had the charges been put forward, the company would have acted immediately.
Harrods has implemented 50 “sexual harassment officers” in the past year in response to the accusations. These officers receive training in order to “provide safe, empathetic assistance and support to workers with complaints of sexual harassment.” Al Fayed bought the department store in 1985 and sold it in 2010. The victims reveal that he would often choose young female assistants whom he found attractive and promoted them to work in his office upstairs.
The investigation also found that Harrods failed to intervene when it came to abuse allegations during Al Fayed’s ownership. While the company apologizes to its former employees, it claims that Harrods today is vastly different from Harrods during Al Fayed’s ownership. Those affected have been encouraged to come forward with any new information, and the Police will be fully exploring any new cases
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