'Monster' Mohamed Al Fayed enabled by Harrods to carry out sexual abuse, lawyers for victims say

Harrods enabled a “system of procurement” for “monster” Mohamed Al Fayed to abuse young women moving astatine the world-famous section store, lawyers representing the victims person said.

Speaking astatine a property league connected Friday, Dean Armstrong KC, representing the victims, said that those successful complaint astatine Harrods knew of Al Fayed’s behaviour. He said Harrods lone addressing the allegations present was an “insult” to those abused.

He said that Harrods should instrumentality “responsibility” arsenic “soon arsenic possible” and look up to the “web of abuse” perpetrated by Mr Al Fayed during his chairmanship and ownership from 1985 and 2010.

He added the lawsuit "combines immoderate of the astir horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein."

He said: "I person galore years of practice... I person ne'er seen a lawsuit arsenic horrific arsenic this.

"This lawsuit combines immoderate of the astir horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein.

"Savile due to the fact that successful this case, arsenic successful that, the institution, we say, knew astir the behaviour.

"Epstein due to the fact that successful that case, arsenic successful this, determination was a procurement strategy successful spot to root the women and girls - arsenic you cognize determination are immoderate precise young victims.

"And Weinstein, due to the fact that it was a idiosyncratic astatine the precise apical of the organisation who was abusing his power.

"We volition accidental plainly, Mohammed Al Fayed was a monster."

A Harrods spokesperson said it is “appalled” by the claims of intersexual maltreatment nether the erstwhile owner, and that is has been settling claims brought by victims arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.

“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,” a spokesperson said.

“We besides admit that during this clip his victims were failed and for this we sincerely apologise. We are doing everything we tin to hole this.

“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.”