irector of security.
“We would come across this all the time,” he adds, saying that Fayed’s behaviour was the “worst kept secret in Harrods”.
One former employee told the BBC that she was warned about Fayed’s behaviour by a colleague before starting work at Harrods in the late 1990s.
“She said ‘you will hear stories, you will hear rumours. But it’s not true. Ignore it and it will go away’.”
The women we spoke to say they did not report the assaults to the police at the time because they were scared for their jobs, lacked proof, or did not think they would be believed.
Sophia says the culture at Harrods was “to maintain silence” and added: “I knew the odds were stacked against me. There was no point.”
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that there are no current investigations into allegations made against Fayed.
But this film was made with the co-operation of the police, and the team passed on the identity of the women who wished to make formal complaints.
Harrods has apologised “unreservedly” to the victims and said it had commissioned an independent review, which is ongoing.
Despite the allegations, Fayed’s son Omar told the BBC: “My father was never arrested, charged or convicted of such crimes, though he sadly cannot defend himself in person. We trust the police to handle the matter professionally and fairly”.
The Panorama investigation, Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods, is available on BBC iPlayer.
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