Harrods boss Michael Ward apologises for Mohamed Al Fayed's sexual abuse scandal

The brag of luxury section store Harrods has personally apologised for the archetypal clip astir the sickening run of intersexual maltreatment committed by precocious proprietor Mohamed Al Fayed.

Michael Ward said: "I americium precise dreadfully atrocious for what has happened with Al Fayed,” aft being confronted by a newsman extracurricular his Knightsbridge HQ

Hundreds of women person told however the depraved billionaire raped oregon sexually abused them and constabulary are present looking into immoderate of the allegations whilst Harrods is settling hundreds of claims.

Mr Ward, who has been managing manager of Harrods since 2005, worked alongside the Egyptian tycoon until 2010 and has antecedently insisted helium did not cognize of immoderate abuse.

Harrods' caller owner, the Qatar Investment Authority, said an interior reappraisal was ongoing but has declined to accidental whether it had identified oregon taken immoderate enactment against anyone presently moving for the business.

Al Fayed, who died past twelvemonth aged 94, was initially accused of intersexual battle by much than 20 women successful a BBC exposure successful September.

Hundreds of radical person since contacted the broadcaster straight astir Harrods and Al Fayed since the documentary Al Fayed: Predator astatine Harrods aired with much than 70 giving accounts of intersexual harassment, intersexual battle and rape.

The maltreatment allegedly took spot astatine Fulham FC, the Ritz Hotel Paris, Harrods, arsenic good arsenic different places owned by Al Fayed.

Mr Ward said successful a connection successful September that helium had stepped down from his relation arsenic a trustee of Royal Ballet and Opera portion the reappraisal astatine Harrods takes place.

He added successful the connection that helium did not cognize of the maltreatment astatine Harrods and that Al Fayed “presided implicit a toxic civilization of secrecy, intimidation, fearfulness of repercussion and intersexual misconduct", calling it a "shameful period".

He said nary ceremonial complaints had been brought to him during his clip moving with Al Fayed, but admitted rumours of his behaviour were successful the "public domain".

Mr Ward has declined each media requests for an interrogation but told the BBC helium had "nothing further to add."

Harrods antecedently revealed it was successful the process of settling astir 300 claims for compensation brought by victims of Al Fayed which is abstracted to the transgression probe.

Lawyers for implicit 400 victims said they were moving connected a assertion against the Al Fayed estate, arsenic good arsenic Harrods, adding they expected to nonstop hundreds much claims to the section store and that it would "snowball and snowball".

In 2008, allegations of indecent battle against a 15-year-old miss were made against Al Fayed but the Crown Prosecution Service chose not to prosecute charges owed to conflicting evidence.