Lawyers call ex-Harrods boss Al-Fayed a 'monster' who sexually abused dozens of women

WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

There are threeCanadians among the women who say they were sexually abused byMohamed Al-Fayed, the late owner of Harrods, while serving as employees at the luxury department store in London, CBC News has learned.

The BBC reported the women's allegations in a documentary and podcast released Thursday, after an investigation heard from more than 20 former Harrods employees who say the billionaire assaulted or raped them. Some were as young as teenagers when they say thealleged incidents took place.

Details about the allegationswereoutlined at a newsconference on Friday thatincludedthe legal team featured in the BBC documentary, high-profile American lawyerGloria Allred and awoman who spoke ofharrowing experiences while working at Harrods.

Al-Fayed, who died in 2023 at the age of 94, faced some sexual assault claims while he was still living, but the BBC says these new allegations are of an "unprecedented scale and seriousness."

On Friday, the lawyers described him as a "monster" who abused young women and girls who worked at the department store during his 25-year ownership.Dean Armstrongsaid he and the three other lawyers who spoke arerepresenting37 women in total, and he expects that number couldgrow.

WATCH | 'You're mine now.' Canadian accuser says late Harrods boss became 'possessive':

Canadian accuser says ex-Harrods boss Al-Fayed became possessive

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One of three Canadians who have come forward to make allegations against the former owner of Harrods, Mohamed Al-Fayed, spoke to reporters after the legal briefing about the case on Friday. The woman, identified by CBC News as Amy to protect her privacy, said she and others were often put in situations where they would be alone with Al-Fayed.

Lawyer Bruce Drummond, part of the legal team, said most of the womenwere19 to 24 years old when they were subjected to what he described as "one of the worst cases of corporate sexual exploitation that certainly I and perhaps the world has ever seen."

"It's mad that even today I am petrified of someone who is no longer alive," one of the women, who began working for Al-Fayed in 2007 as his personal assistant, told the BBC.

"It started off verbal and groping and progressed pretty quickly."

She and other female employees were also subject to invasive medical exams, the woman said. These examinations were pitched as company perks, but many employees reported never seeing the results, although they were always shared with Al-Fayed.

A 'lion's den' of sexual misconduct

One of Al Fayed's alleged victims who spoke on Friday and went by the name Natachasaid she worked at the Harrods store inLondon when she was 19.

"I was subjected to AIDS and STD testing without consent, and now believe in hindsightI was checked for my purity," she said.

Natacha said when she was hired, Al-Fayed would ask "kind and caring" questions, but she later foundshe had "walked into a lion's den,a layer of cover-ups, deceit, lies, manipulation, humiliationand gross sexual misconduct," which included forced kissesand other kinds of sexual assault.

The alleged abuse was not limited to London. Victims reported multiple incidents in Paris, St. Tropez and Abu Dhabi.

WATCH |Harrods was 'toxic, unsafe and abusive' environment under Al-Fayed:

Gloria Allred alleges 'toxic, unsafe and abusive' environment at Harrods under Al-Fayed

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Duration 2:06

Women's rights advocate Gloria Allred, who appeared alongside the lawyers representing alleged victims of Mohamed Al-Fayed, said 'something was rotten at the core of Harrods' during Al-Fayed's tenure.

Some ex-employees say Al-Fayed forced his way into their room on business trips. Others say he would carry out his exploits on Harrods property, promoting employees whom he found attractive to work in his offices at the department store.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, before moving to London in the 1970s, Al-Fayed came to prominence in British society in 1985 when he took over Harrods.

He gained further notoriety when his son, Dodi Fayed, began dating Diana, Princess of Wales, shortly before they both died after a car crash in Paris in 1997.

The Crown portrayal offended manysurvivors

Al-Fayed, whose enterprises included the Htel Ritz in Paris and helping to fund the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, was introduced to younger generations through the Netflix series The Crown.

His charming, philanthropic portrayal in the series offended many survivors who say he was "vile," and "a monster," the BBC reported.

In an online statement, Harrods said it is "utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse" andthat the business failed its employees.

"The Harrods of today is a very different organization to the one owned and controlled by Al-Fayed between 1985 and 2010," the business said.

The statement went on to detail a reparations process that was put in place in 2023 for victims of Al-Fayed "to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved."

In a brief email to CBC News, the business said it stood by the response in its statement but added that it will "welcome any new information regarding allegations relating to the issues raised in the BBC documentary."

WATCH | 3 Canadians among women who say they were sexually assaulted by Al-Fayed:

Canadians among women accusing Mohamed Al-Fayed of sexual assault

1 day ago

Duration 2:14

At least 20 women, including Canadians, accuse the late Egyptian-born billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed of sexual assault while they worked for him. Al-Fayed was alleged to have raped and assaulted dozens of women before his death last year.

For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database.

For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services.

If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.