Mohamed Al Fayed accused of rape in new BBC documentary

Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al Fayed has been accused of rape by multiple women, according to a new BBC documentary.

In Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods, which premieres today on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two, more than 20 women have come forward with allegations of rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, and violence against women.

Most of the women alleging abuse are former employees of Harrods, the luxury London department store that Al Fayed owned for 26 years. The alleged victims worked there between the late 1980s and the 2000s, with the assaults reportedly taking place in London and Paris.

Al Fayed, who was born to a middle-class family in Alexandria, died last year at the age of 94. He amassed a massive fortune after beginning a shipping business in Egypt.

According to the documentary, police investigated a rape allegation against Al Fayed in 2015 but did not press charges. One woman said she approached the police in 2018 but was informed that the Egyptian, who had dementia, was too old to be prosecuted.

Thirteen women told the BBC they were sexually assaulted at a luxury Park Lane apartment block, where Al Fayed would frequently offer female employees working late a place to stay. Four of these women reported being raped.

In Paris, nine additional women alleged sexual assault, with five claiming attempted rape and one stating she was raped.

The BBC claims that Harrods not only neglected to intervene but also played a role in covering up the sexual abuse allegations. In July 2023, the store reportedly began settling claims with several of the women involved.

In a statement to the BBC, Harrods said they are "utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed Al Fayed," which they "condemn in the strongest possible terms."

The statement continued, "We also acknowledge that during this time as a business we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise."

The documentary creators suggest that the women decided to come forward after watching Al Fayed’s favourable portrayal in the Netflix series The Crown. The episodes in question focused on Princess Diana’s relationship with Al Fayed’s son, Dodi, and their deaths in a car crash in 1997 in Paris.