'Mohamed Al Fayed tried to rape me but I kicked and kicked. Afterwards he said: You're going to tell your grandchildren what a monster I am.' Victims tell what happened to them - and how the ex-Harrods owner was worse than Jeffrey Epstein

A brutal and sustained run of intersexual exploitation and unit against dozens of young women – that’s the devastating signifier of allegations emerging from the grounds of victims of erstwhile Harrods proprietor Mohamed Al Fayed.

Yesterday, Bruce Drummond, the barrister representing astir 40 women who person present travel forward, said: ‘The allegations against Al Fayed are assaults successful varying degrees from inappropriate touching to precise superior intersexual assaults including rape – 1 young miss was conscionable 16. One was 15.’

‘I deliberation connected the accusation we have, this is the worst lawsuit of firm exploitation of young women the satellite has ever seen. In our view, it is much superior than [Jeffrey] Epstein, due to the fact that it wasn’t opportunist, it was planned. 

'It progressive a cover-up, threats, horrendous intersexual acts, coerced rape, being locked away, trafficking. Some ladies accidental they were drugged. I can’t accent capable however acheronian this was and however severely it has affected these ladies. They are precise damaged.’

I conscionable Sophia, 56, astatine her location successful Staffordshire. It’s her relationship that archetypal triggered the probe into Al Fayed’s behaviour, and led straight to the BBC documentary aired yesterday exposing him.

Privately educated successful Canterbury, Sophia began connected the Harrods trainee ‘Way In’ strategy successful 1988, a period aft turning 20. ‘Mohamed archetypal saw maine successful the property bureau and past again connected the store floor. He spoke to maine a mates of times. Not agelong after, a subordinate of his unit told me: “The president wants to spot you successful his office,” and truthful I went up there.’

Immediately aft Al Fayed’s ‘inspection’ of Sophia, helium insisted she statesman moving straight for him.

The assaults began not agelong afterwards. ‘He’d inquire maine to travel into his bureau and would unopen the door. He ever had 4 information guards with him. Two would beryllium lasting extracurricular and 2 would spell to the information bureau to show each question connected cameras.’

He rapidly ‘became physical, grabbing maine erstwhile I went into the office’.

‘He’d effort and buss me, grabbing my boobs each the time. He’d enactment his manus up my skirt and propulsion maine onto his lap. He’d accidental things like, “Come to Papa”.

‘I’d beryllium trying to get distant arsenic helium pulled maine connected apical of him, sitting successful his large achromatic leather chair. He had this disgusting wont of squeezing my breasts, and saying “give maine immoderate beverage from your titties”. It was atrocious capable erstwhile helium did that erstwhile nary 1 was successful the room, but much than erstwhile helium did that erstwhile others were successful the room.

'They’d beryllium laughing, similar it was a comic joke. It was humiliating and mortifying.’

Sophia describes however helium controlled his pistillate staff.

‘He hated articulator gloss and told the girls to hitch it disconnected if they wore it. He liked Alice Bands and level shoes. He had a penchant for well-spoken English girls, peculiarly blondes. I was the unusual 1 retired astatine that clip arsenic a brunette.’

With sickening frequency, Al Fayed, who died past year, would onslaught her. On 1 juncture that sticks successful her mind, helium followed her into a broadside bureau and closed the door. ‘He pushed maine precise forcefully against the filing cabinets, trying to buss me.

‘He was putting his manus up my skirt, portion feeling my breasts. The information guys were lasting close outside. I was helpless to bash anything. That happened tons of times but, connected that occasion, it was peculiarly frightening and forceful. I couldn’t get away.’

Why didn’t she leave? ‘This was my job, and I was scared. I’d been isolated and he’d warned maine ne'er to speech to anyone astir him.’ Along with galore different victims, she was made to motion a non disclosure agreement.

There was besides an aerial of menace astir Al Fayed, accidental the women. Former Met Chief Superintendent, John Macnamara, was his caput of security.

‘Mohamed would nonstop Macnamara retired to travel people, truthful I knew what helium was susceptible of. He listened into our conversations, each the phones were bugged, my telephone connected my table was bugged.’

And yet Al Fayed’s behaviour was hardly hidden.

‘The champion days [at Harrods] were erstwhile helium wasn’t there, but that was usually due to the fact that he’d taken different girls connected trips. The worst days were Saturdays due to the fact that we were moving connected our own.

‘That’s erstwhile we got the worst benignant of attention. I’d spot different girls spell down to the office, and think, “phew, it’s not me.” But astatine the aforesaid clip I was terrified it was happening to these different girls. My bosom sank for them, they were lambs to the slaughter. 

'We couldn’t study him to HR arsenic the full HR was controlled by him. If a blonde miss caught his oculus successful the store, helium would inquire to spot them. The girls were sometimes precise young, arsenic young arsenic 16. They had a horrific time.

‘We were going into enactment each time to beryllium abused.’

Sophia recalls connected 1 juncture being summoned aft enactment to Al Fayed’s flat astatine 60 Park Lane, wherever helium ‘forced himself onto me’. ‘He was pushing down connected apical of maine truthful that I was squashed into the sofa. He’s a large man. I truly thought helium was going to rape me. I was kicking him hard and managed to footwear him off. I was perfectly terrified.’ 

All the women accidental that nary of the doors connected Al Fayed’s properties had locks. Sophia trembles arsenic she recalls different occasion, successful 1991, erstwhile she was staying astatine Villa Windsor, his location successful Paris, and Al Fayed came into her country precocious astatine night. ‘I could consciousness his hands down my pyjamas and past I could consciousness his fingers penetrating me. I was terrified but implicit self-preservation kicked in.

‘I went crazy, similar a banshee. There was nary mode successful hellhole helium was going to rape me. I was kicking and kicking. I kicked him hard successful the crotch and helium fell to the floor. This was 1 of 2 attempted rapes. The different happened successful Scotland.

‘After this trip, I knew I had to get out. When I told him I was leaving, helium seemed upset and angry, helium didn’t privation maine to go. He said the weirdest happening to me: “You’re going to archer your grandchildren 1 time what a monster I am.” He knew.

‘I wasn’t precise good mentally for a agelong clip afterwards. I couldn’t enactment successful manner aft that. I lone took receptionist jobs wherever I could get retired of the doorway rapidly if I needed to. I couldn’t ever beryllium closed successful oregon trapped by anyone again.’

Lindsay Mason, 55, was ‘recruited’ by Harrods a twelvemonth aft Sophia. ‘It was 1989, I was 20 years aged and had a prestigious occupation moving successful Sothebys’ books and manuscripts department. I went to get luncheon successful South Molton Street and was taking screen from the rainfall nether the awning of a occupation agency. A feline came retired and said I’d beryllium perfect for a job. I told him I wasn’t looking for a job, but helium took my details anyway.’

Later that day, Harrods sent a chauffeur to prime her up for an interrogation with a subordinate of Al Fayed’s staff.

‘I was interviewed successful what we called the broadside office, a small suite disconnected the absorption offices. She said the occupation would beryllium confidential and star-studded. Al Fayed came in, gave maine the erstwhile up and down and I was offered a occupation arsenic PA reporting straight to him.

‘Next time I got a telephone and was told I needed a aesculapian examination. It turned retired to beryllium an invasive interior introspection carried retired by a backstage antheral doctor. There was nary chaperone. Because I was truthful young, I’d ne'er had a smear trial earlier and didn’t recognize wherefore I needed 1 for a secretarial job.

‘The doc told maine it was a perk of the job, and I was fortunate that Al Fayed looked aft his unit truthful well. He said helium needed to cheque my ovaries, which was precise painful, and cheque my breasts.’

In reality, she present believes, this was a trial to cheque whether she had a sexually transmitted disease. The immense bulk of the women were forced to acquisition these tests, including those who said they were virgins.

‘On my archetypal day, I was told to spell to Al Fayed’s London home, 60 Park Lane. I went wrong and determination were each these glamorous young women with their hairsbreadth stroke dried, wearing Yves Saint Laurent suits, nipped successful astatine the waist.

‘I felt similar I was sitting successful a harem. I did my archetypal week astatine ­Harrods. By Friday, helium started doing his weird worldly - helium was grooming me.

‘He called maine to his bureau and handed maine an envelope with currency successful it, I instantly thought “oh no”. I could spot that I was expected to instrumentality it. I couldn’t refuse. With hindsight, I spot that it was to marque maine complicit successful his shady stuff.’

Not agelong after, needing a skis suit for a holiday, she was told by Al Fayed to prime 1 retired and past conscionable him astatine the Park Lane flat that evening wherever helium would springiness it to her.

‘I went up successful a assistance to his large lounge with sofas and armchairs. I sat down connected 1 of the sofas and helium came and sat adjacent to me. He was touching my breasts and hairsbreadth and face. He seemed obsessed with my blonde hair. 

'I jumped up and tried to make abstraction betwixt us. He started chasing maine astir the room. A information defender was lasting extracurricular the door, and I knew nary 1 was going to travel to my rescue.

‘Then, convey God, idiosyncratic came up successful the assistance and consecutive into the room. I near successful sheer terror.

‘A fewer weeks aboriginal I was told I was going to Paris. I was taken from Harrods successful a chopper to Northolt to committee Mohamed’s backstage jet.

‘There was different miss who I hadn’t met before. She seemed younger than me. She and I were fixed a batch of Dom Perignon champagne connected the flight.

‘Later we were taken for meal astatine the Ritz and past maine and the different miss got a pat connected the enarthrosis by security. We were taken to Al Fayed’s flat down the Arc de Triomphe, but past determination was a sound connected my doorway and I was told that Al Fayed would similar to conscionable maine and the different miss for a portion successful a sitting room. 

'I went successful but it was conscionable him. I sat close astatine the different extremity of the sofa from him but helium came and sat adjacent to me. Within seconds helium flipped into a predator, touching my look and hair.

‘I was inactive trying to beryllium polite arsenic I was truthful young and ever respectful of authority. I asked him if the representation connected his mantelpiece was Jasmine, his daughter. I was trying to bring him backmost to being quality and not a monster, but helium was a monster.

‘He became precise forceful and tried to rape maine and pushed his hands wrong me. It was brutal. He was truly hurting me. I was yelling but nary 1 came to my aid. I thought that I was going to beryllium raped. I abruptly gained superhuman strength.

‘I was a 20-year-old beanpole against this large 60-year-old antheral but arsenic a equine rider, I was acceptable and strong. I was desperately kicking him disconnected me, and managed to escape. 

'I ran into my bedroom. I barricaded 1 doorway with an armoire, and pushed the furniture up against the different door. I was lying connected the level betwixt the two, with my backmost against the armoire and my ft against the bed. I was trapped due to the fact that I didn’t privation to permission my position. I’m definite helium could spot everything arsenic determination were cameras successful that room.’

From that infinitesimal on, Lindsay remembers thing – what she calls the missing hours – not until she was backmost successful the broadside bureau successful Harrods, wherever for respective hours she was locked inside. She remains traumatised that she was, she says, falsely imprisoned connected the bid of Al Fayed. She continues: ‘I managed to flight and ran for my life.’

She thinks present she was astir apt drugged.

‘Later, erstwhile I got home, I discovered I had a large wound connected my back, I had bruises to my legs and astir my genital area. I person nary recollection of however I sustained the wound to my back.

‘I ne'er reported the attempted rape to the police, I knew determination was nary point.’

Shortly afterwards she was sacked for the improbable offence of utilizing ‘the incorrect unit entrance’.

This, too, was portion of Al Fayed’s modus operandi, says barrister Bruce Drummond. ‘By the constituent they couldn’t instrumentality immoderate much oregon told him to get lost, they were sacked, consecutive away. After that they would beryllium threatened by information successful Fayed’s information roster, ranging from “you’ll ne'er enactment successful London again” to them stating that they cognize wherever their families live.

‘This is besides supported by the grounds fixed by information officers who person travel forward.

‘The harm that has been caused is significant. These ladies lived with this for 20 unusual years and buried it successful immoderate cases.

‘We anticipation that everyone who has been harmed successful immoderate mode volition travel forward. and person acceptable up a website (harrodssurvivors.com) with a fig of adjuvant resources.’

Many of the women abused by Al Fayed are inactive excessively frightened and traumatised to talk retired successful public. But they are opening to archer their stories. In 2019, Lindsay was contacted by Sophia, and successful 2020 Sophia reported the attempted rapes to the Metropolitan Police, giving a 31-page connection and video statement.

Yet the CPS dropped her lawsuit claiming Al Fayed’s property – helium was past 91 - and mediocre wellness were mitigating factors. She besides went to lawyers, and adjacent to 40 different women person present joined her successful looking astatine a imaginable assertion against Harrods and the Al Fayed Estate.

‘The power helium had was insane,’ says Lindsay now. ‘It’s messed up lives. I didn’t realise until these past fewer years however overmuch harm he’s done to me.’

A connection from Harrods said: ‘We are utterly appalled by the allegations of maltreatment perpetrated by Mohamed Al Fayed. These were the actions of an idiosyncratic who was intent connected abusing his powerfulness wherever helium operated and we condemn them successful the strongest terms.

‘We besides admit that during this time, arsenic a business, we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise.

‘The Harrods of contiguous is simply a precise antithetic organisation to the 1 owned and controlled by Al Fayed betwixt 1985 and 2010, it is 1 that seeks to enactment the payment of our employees astatine the bosom of everything we do.

‘This is why, since caller accusation came to airy successful 2023 astir historical allegations of intersexual maltreatment by Al Fayed, it has been our precedence to settee claims successful the quickest mode possible, avoiding lengthy ineligible proceedings for the women involved. This process is inactive disposable for immoderate existent oregon erstwhile Harrods employees.

‘While we cannot undo the past, we person been determined to bash the close happening arsenic an organisation, driven by the values we clasp today, portion ensuring that specified behaviour tin ne'er beryllium repeated successful the future.’

Commander Kevin Southworth, who leads connected Public Protection for the Metropolitan Police, said: ‘We are alert of assorted allegations of intersexual offences made implicit a fig of years successful narration to the precocious Mohamed Al Fayed which were reported to the Met.

‘Each 1 was investigated and, wherever appropriate, proposal from the Crown Prosecution Service was sought. No charges resulted from these investigations.

‘As with immoderate investigation, if immoderate further accusation comes to airy it volition beryllium assessed and investigated accordingly.’