Met Police says over 100 alleged Al Fayed victims have come forward

In the autumn of 2024, the Metropolitan Police, London's police force, confirmed it was assessing allegations of sexual abuse against Mohamed Al Fayed, the Egyptian-born businessman who owned Harrods and the Paris Ritz and died in 2023. Officers said dozens of alleged victims had come forward, and the number was later reported to exceed 100.

The announcement followed a BBC documentary and podcast, broadcast in September 2024, in which several former Harrods employees accused Al Fayed of rape and sexual assault over decades. The allegations prompted wider scrutiny of how the department store and its owner had been able to operate without being held to account.

Because Al Fayed was dead, he could not be prosecuted. Police said they would look at whether others had helped enable or conceal the alleged abuse. Harrods, now owned by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, publicly apologised and set up a compensation scheme for survivors, while lawyers prepared civil claims. The case became a major test of how powerful employers are held responsible for abuse.