Lawyers: 60 women represented in Al Fayed case

Lawyers representing the accusers of former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed say they are now working with 60 women.

Justice for Harrods Survivors, which originally represented 37 women, said it had received an “enormous” response from victims and witnesses since announcing its claim against the luxury department store last week.

The legal team added that there was now “credible evidence” of abuse perpetrated at other businesses and properties once owned by Al Fayed, including Fulham Football Club.

Last week, Fulham said it was in the process of establishing whether anyone in the club had experienced abuse at the hands of the late businessman.

Al Fayed, who died last September aged 94 and owned Harrods between 1985 and 2010, has been accused of multiple rapes and sexual assaults by former staff – many of whom felt unable to report what had happened until recently.

They made the claims in the BBC podcast and documentary Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods. Dozens more women have been in touch since the programme aired last week.

Justice for Harrods Survivors is bringing a case against the current owners of the department store, who it argues are liable for damages.

The current owners, who did not own it at the time of the allegations, said they were “utterly appalled”.

“The Harrods of today is a very different organisation,” the company said last week, adding they had made it a “priority” to quickly settle claims brought to them by victims.

The department store has a compensation scheme for ex-employees who say they were attacked by Al Fayed, which is separate to the legal action being taken by some accusers.

Harrods says it has already reached financial settlements with the majority of people who have approached them since 2023, and has had new inquiries since the BBC investigation was published. (BBC)