UK prosecutors admit they did not charge Mohamed Fayed over sex abuse claims for second time

Five women alleged they were raped by former Harrods owner, with over 150 new enquiries since BBC documentary

The Crown Prosecution Service has admitted it did not charge Mohamed Fayed over alleged sex abuse for a second time.
Five women alleged they were raped by the former owner of Harrods, with a number of others coming forward claiming sexual misconduct in the wake of a BBC documentary into the allegations.
A legal team representing alleged victims confirmed on Saturday that they have “had over 150 new enquiries” since the programme was aired. Fayed who died in 2023 aged 94, had previously been accused of sexually assaulting and groping multiple women.
It has now emerged that evidence was shown to the CPS in 2015 as well as in 2009, but it decided not to go ahead with the prosecution because there was not “a realistic prospect of conviction”.
The Telegraph previously reported how Fayed was interviewed by the Metropolitan Police under caution in 2008 after a 15-year-old girl told detectives he had sexually assaulted her at the London department store.
In February 2009, when Sir Keir Starmer was director of public prosecutions (DPP), the CPS announced no charges would be brought because there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”. Downing Street claims Sir Keir, who quit his role at the CPS in 2013, had no involvement in the decision.
The CPS was under the direction of Dame Alison Saunders when prosecutors considered charging Fayed in 2015.
In 2018, 2021 and 2023, the CPS provided early investigative advice to the Metropolitan Police following allegations made against Al Fayed. However, a full file of evidence was never received by the CPS in each of these instances and they were given no further action by police.
A file of evidence must be presented to the CPS by an investigating police force for it to have formal involvement in a case.
A CPS spokesman said: “We reviewed files of evidence presented by the police in 2009 and 2015. To bring a prosecution the CPS must be confident there is a realistic prospect of conviction. In each instance our prosecutors looked carefully at the evidence and concluded this was not the case.”
Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, defended Sir Keir’s record on tackling offences against women in a round of interviews on Sunday morning. She told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “What has come to light in recent days in particular is extremely serious. Violence against women is, you know, an issue that we do absolutely need to tackle.
“When Keir Starmer was director of public prosecutions, he made that a personal priority. I don’t know the details of what happened in 2009, there sometimes can be issues with the evidence that’s presented by the police, whether that can lead to a conviction.”
She added: “The first time that I ever knew who Keir Starmer was was when I saw him on television as director of public prosecutions, talking about the personal priority that he attached to tackling violence against women and girls, so he’s got a personal commitment to it.
“He turned the CPS around while he was leading it to focus on that. But, clearly, if there have been issues that should be considered, that should happen.”
On Saturday a former Harrods employee, who wished to remain anonymous, told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme of “enablers” at the luxury store who she claimed were “as guilty as Fayed because they were not just passive onlookers”.
In its statement, Harrods said it was “utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse” and that they were “the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated”.
Referencing this, the store’s former employee said: “I know Harrods said in their statement that these are the actions of an individual but actually I think it also shows the inaction of multiple people and leaders.”
The woman said she was invited into Fayed’s office where he offered her a job, kissed her on the forehead and handed her £300 in cash, as well as holding her hand and asking whether she had a boyfriend.
Recalling the encounter, she said: “He said ‘No, you don’t have a boyfriend. I’m your boyfriend,”‘ adding that being kissed by him was “horrible”.
The former Harrods employee said that after describing the encounter to her male line manager, he “brushed it off” and told her: “That’s just what he’s like.”
Sources within Harrods have said the business has accepted vicarious liability for the conduct of Fayed for the purpose of settling claims of alleged victims brought to its attention since 2023, reaching settlements with the vast majority.
Bruce Drummond, a barrister in the legal team representing 37 alleged victims, told BBC Radio 4 it was a “huge conflict of interest” that Harrods was inviting former or current employees to settle claims.
Mr Drummond said: “It does seem to me a huge conflict of interest that Harrods are saying: ‘Yes, we did wrong. We were responsible for serious harm to you, but come to us and we’ll sort out the settlement for you.”‘
He added: “This is the worst case of corporate sexual exploitation of young women that I have ever seen, and I think probably the world has ever seen.”
Maria Mulla, another barrister in the legal team, told Times Radio that she had heard stories of women at Harrods “being put into cupboards” when Fayed was walking round so “they wouldn’t be spotted”.
In its statement on the BBC Documentary, Al-Fayed: Predator At Harrods, which aired on Thursday, Harrods said it was “a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al-Fayed between 1985 and 2010”.
The store added that “since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al-Fayed, it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved”.