Police watchdog to review Met’s handling of Fayed abuse claims

Former Harrods owner accused of sexual assault by more than 20 women since he died last year

The police watchdog is reviewing the Metropolitan Police’s handling of abuse allegations against Mohamed Fayed.
The former Harrods owner has been accused of sexual assault by more than 20 women since his death last year at the age of 94.
Scotland Yard said it voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) after two women complained about separate investigations it conducted into Fayed in 2008 and 2013.
Commander Stephen Clayman, from the Met’s Specialist Crime team, said: “We are actively reviewing 21 allegations reported to the Metropolitan Police prior to Mohamed Fayed’s passing, as well as the related police investigations, to determine if any additional investigative steps are available or there are things we could have done better.
“This process remains active, and we are committed to assessing all new allegations, pursuing justice where possible and transparently addressing any failings.
“In recent weeks, two victims-survivors have come forward with concerns about how their allegations were handled when first reported, and it is only appropriate that the IOPC assess these complaints.
“Although we cannot change the past, we are resolute in our goal to offer every individual who contacts us the highest standard of service and support.
“I encourage anyone with relevant information, whether you were personally affected or have knowledge about others who may have facilitated Al Fayed’s actions to contact us.
“Our priority remains to ensure that no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of justice.”
It emerged last week that the Met was told about allegations of sexual assault against Mohamed Fayed a decade earlier than it has previously said.
Samantha Ramsey was 17 when she reported the former Harrods boss to Scotland Yard in 1995 for allegedly groping her in the luxury London department store.
But the first report the Met has on file is from 2005 because reports were still paper-based in the mid-1990s.
The Met sent a file about Fayed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2009 and 2015 but it decided not to prosecute because there was not “a realistic prospect of conviction”.
Fayed was never charged before he died in August 2023.
It comes after a number of women made allegations against Fayed in a BBC documentary last month.
The BBC’s Al Fayed: Predator At Harrods documentary reported the claims of five women who said they were raped by Fayed, with a number of others alleging sexual misconduct.
Harrods has said it is considering more than 250 compensation claims by alleged victims.
Fayed acquired Harrods for £615 million in 1985. In 2010, after 26 years in charge, he sold the department store to the Qatari royal family for a reported £1.5 billion.
The Justice for Harrods Survivors group said more than 400 women have come forward over allegations of sexual misconduct against the former Harrods owner.
A lawyer for the group described it as the worst case of corporate abuse of women the world has ever seen.
A spokesman for the IOPC confirmed it contacted the Met Police in September to find out if the force had received any complaints about investigations into the Fayed allegations.
They said: “We contacted the Met Police in September to find out whether it had received any relevant complaints or identified any conduct issues that would require a referral to us relating to sexual offence allegations made against Mohammed Al-Fayed.
“We have remained in regular contact with the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards on this matter and, on November 8, we received two complaint referrals relating to the Met Police’s original handling of allegations made by two complainants about Mr Al-Fayed.
“We will assess the information provided before deciding what further action may be required from us.”