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The Metropolitan Police has announced that it is currently investigating more than five people they believe may have assisted or enabled Mohamed Al Fayed in his sexual offences following a new investigation opened up by the force. This came after a BBC documentary was released, revealing the extent of the billionaire’s predatory behaviour, causing 90 alleged new victims to come forward. Prior to the airing of the documentary, it was revealed that the force had been contacted by 21 alleged victims. Al Fayed passed away last year without facing criminal charges.
The youngest victim is understood to have been aged 13, with the timescale for the new allegations occurring between 1977 and 2014. Cdr Steve Clayman of the Metropolitan Police stated that operation Cornpoppy – the investigation – would focus on what role individuals “may have played in facilitating or enabling his offending, and what opportunities they had to protect victims from his horrendous abuse.” He added that this investigation was about giving survivors a voice, despite the fact that Al Fayed was no longer alive to face prosecution.
The Metropolitan Police have also launched an internal review, looking at all previous investigations to identify any missed opportunities. To date, they have looked at more than 50,000 pages of evidence, including victim and impact statements. Earlier this month, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it would review two cases the Metropolitan Police investigated in 2008 and 2013 after it referred itself. This came after complaints from two women regarding previous police investigations, with the “concerns about the quality of police response and how details came to be disclosed publicly”.
Al Fayed, the former owner of Harrods, is alleged to have sexually abused women at businesses he owned, including Harrods, the Ritz Paris hotel and Fulham FC. In response to this latest investigation, a spokesperson for the department store said they “wholeheartedly” supported it. Despite the fact that the scandal came to light recently, with the retailer having been investigating since 2023 whether any of its current employee’s involvement, the company’s new owners declined to give specific details of whether any action had been taken against any individual or when the review might be completed.
Earlier this month, BBC News revealed that the Met Police had been informed of allegations of sexual assault by Mr Al Fayed a decade earlier than previously acknowledged. If you have any information regarding this matter, please reach out to MAFinvestigation@bbc.co.uk with a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist
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