Fresh allegations have been made about Harrods’ former chief executive, Mohamed Al Fayed, by a former employee who claims his direct supervisor “ignored” complaints about inappropriate approaches.
The woman, who only gives her name as Catherine, contacted the BBC this week after other women came forward to say they had been sexually assaulted by the late billionaire.
Catherine said that when she was a 21-year-old Harrods employee, she was called into Mr Faid’s office, where he subjected her to “unpleasant” behaviour, including kissing her on the forehead, inviting her to work in his office and telling her he was her boyfriend.
Harrods’ current owners said earlier this week they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations and that “the victims have been abandoned”.
They say they were unaware of any allegations before 2023, but lawyers for the dozens of female plaintiffs say that’s “inconceivable” and argue the owners should have conducted a due diligence investigation when they bought the company in 2010.
His lawyers say the assaults against Fayed took place around the world, including in the United States, Canada, France, Malaysia and Dubai.
“This is truly a global incident, it’s not just a UK issue – it’s happened all over the world,” lawyer Bruce Drummond told the BBC.
In Catherine’s case, her experience happened at Harrods’ flagship store in London.
When she spoke to her immediate supervisor about it she was ignored – something she sees as part of a wider culture of “collusion” at Harrods that enabled Mr Fayed’s behaviour.
“I explained to[my immediate boss]what had happened but he totally ignored it and was like, ‘Oh, that’s the way he is,'” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
One weekend, while she was in a “very junior role,” she was asked to bring some of the store’s musicians to Mr. Fayed’s office, after which he demanded she return immediately.
“So I went back upstairs and we went into a little room in the back, just him and me,” she said.
Fayed invited her to work in his office, but she declined because it wasn’t her area of expertise, she said.
“Afterwards he held my hand and asked me if I had a boyfriend and I politely laughed and said yes.
“And he was like, ‘No, you don’t have a boyfriend. I’m your boyfriend. You don’t need that ass.’ It was weird and obviously I was getting more and more uncomfortable at this point.”
She said Fayed then kissed her on the forehead, told her to think about the job and gave her £300 in cash, which she quickly returned and formally declined.
“He kissed me on the forehead. I know a lot of people have mentioned this fatherly touch, but I have my limits. It was awful and holding hands and being so close was not normal,” she said.
She said she contacted the BBC this week to add weight to the allegations against Mr Fayed.
More than 20 women have told the BBC they were sexually assaulted or raped by businessmen while working at the luxury London department store Harrods.
The lawyers represent at least 37 women who have filed separate civil lawsuits.
Catherine said she felt her experience was “completely insignificant” compared to the allegations, “but I think it’s important in building up evidence of a pattern of behaviour and a culture”.
She accused Harrods of having a work environment that routinely tolerated such behaviour, charges the department store denies. Harrods was owned by Mr Fayed from 1985 to 2010 but is now under new ownership and this week said it was running differently to how it was under Mr Fayed’s management.
Catherine told the BBC: “It was known that he behaved in a certain way and preyed on young women, who he would recruit to work in the factories and in his office.”
“And it seems to have been done without question.”
Her comments have been echoed by other accusers who claim many people at Harrods were aware of Mr Fayed’s alleged behaviour.
“I believe there were people at Harrods who were complicit at the time – they didn’t just stand by and watch, they actually helped create a nightmare for these girls and are just as guilty as Fayed,” she said.
She called for “individuals” to be identified and “questioned about complicity.”
“The evidence shows this was essentially training and they should be brought to justice,” she added.
Katherine’s testimony comes as a growing number of women come forward about Fayed’s actions and new details emerge about failed attempts by police and prosecutors to hold him accountable while he was alive.
Lawyers representing many of the women the BBC spoke to outlined their case against Harrods on Friday.
“These were the actions of individuals who sought to abuse their power wherever they operated and we strongly condemn them,” the store’s new owners said in a statement.
“We also acknowledge that victims have been let down during this time and for this we offer our sincere apologies.”
Drummond, one of the women’s lawyers, said the number of allegations emerging was “enormous.”
“This is perhaps the worst case of corporate sexual assault of a young woman the world has ever seen.”
