Former Harrods boss, Mohamed Al Fayed, has been accused by TV personality Bianca Gascoigne of sexual assault. Gascoigne, who is the adopted daughter of former England footballer Paul Gascoigne, alleged that Al Fayed groomed and sexually assaulted her when she worked at the department store as a teenager. She said that Al Fayed would grope her and force her to kiss him during their weekly meetings. Gascoigne also alleges that Al Fayed visited her at the Harrods Park Lane apartment on one occasion, exposed himself and tried to force her to touch him.
Gascoigne did not speak out sooner because she did not want to bring “embarrassment and shame”. Her comments come after Harrods confirmed that more than 250 people were now in the process of settling compensation claims brought by women who allege historical sexual misconduct by Al Fayed.
Al Fayed is accused of sexual misconduct by several women who worked for him, many of whom felt unable to report what had happened until recently. The billionaire businessman was the owner of Harrods, the Ritz Paris hotel and football team Fulham FC at the time of many of the alleged assaults. A documentary and podcast released by the BBC last month claimed that during Al Fayed’s ownership, Harrods not only failed to intervene but helped cover up abuse allegations.
Al Fayed died last year aged 94. Lawyers from the Justice for Harrods Survivors group, who represent the accusers of the former Harrods boss, have praised Gascoigne for her bravery, adding they are “proud to represent her and our other survivors as we move forward together in our quest for justice”
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