Police investigating those who may have ‘enabled’ Al Fayed to prey on women

Five radical who whitethorn person “facilitated oregon enabled” Mohamed Al Fayed successful the rape and intersexual maltreatment of dozens of women and a miss aged 13 could look transgression charges.

Detectives person identified suspects adjacent to the erstwhile Harrods and Fulham FC proprietor present believed to person committed crimes spanning astir 50 years.

Ninety caller victims of Al Fayed person travel guardant to the Metropolitan Police with the youngest a schoolgirl astatine the time.

Met Commander Stephen Clayman connected Thursday launched a immense probe into the billionaire enactment predator’s offending and acceptable up dedicated hotline for survivors.

Cmdr Clayman told reporters the probe would look astatine what relation individuals “may person played successful facilitating oregon enabling his offending, and what opportunities they had to support victims from his horrendous abuse”.

Since Scotland Yard made a nationalist entreaty past month, 150 radical person contacted them with accusation relating to Al Fayed – who died aged 94 successful 2023.

Of those, 90 caller victims are successful summation to 21 abstracted women who person approached constabulary since 2005 and earlier the caller BBC investigation, Al Fayed: Predator At Harrods.

Based connected records the Met presently holds Al Fayed’s crimes took spot betwixt 1977 and 2014, overmuch longer than archetypal thought.

Investigators doubly sent files for a charging determination to the Crown Prosecution Service - erstwhile successful 2008 relating to 3 victims and again successful 2015 linked to 1 other.

On different 3 occasions - successful 2018, 2021 and 2023 - the CPS was asked for what is called aboriginal investigative advice, but decided nary further enactment should beryllium taken against him.

Al Fayed is known to person offended astatine the section store successful Knightsbridge, cardinal London, Fulham’s grooming ground, locations successful Surrey, the Ritz edifice successful Paris and elsewhere.

Commander Clayman, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “I recognise the bravery of each victim-survivor who has travel guardant to stock their experiences, often aft years of silence.

“This probe is astir giving survivors a voice, contempt the information that Mohamed Al Fayed is nary longer live to look prosecution.

“However, we are present pursuing immoderate individuals suspected to person been complicit successful his offending, and we are committed to seeking justice.

“We are alert that past events whitethorn person impacted the public’s spot and assurance successful our approach, and we are determined to rebuild that spot by addressing these allegations with integrity and thoroughness.

“We promote anyone who has accusation oregon was affected by Al Fayed’s actions to scope retired to us. Your dependable matters, and we are present to perceive and to help.”

The Met has besides faced allegations of constabulary corruption. The Guardian reported that officers were accused of taking bribes to assistance him persecute unit and debar accusations of abuse.

Former Chief Superintendent Stephen Otter told Sky News officers successful Kensington and Chelsea would “provide further resources astatine Christmas” successful instrumentality for “hampers and tons of drinks paid for” astir 1999. The Met Police had an Austin Mini Metro with a Harrods logo connected it funded by Al Fayed.

The constabulary watchdog is investigating complaints from 2 women astir investigations from 2008 and 2013.

A constabulary spokesperson said: “While these cases day backmost implicit a decennary and we cannot alteration what happened successful the past, we are committed to understanding, being unfastened astir immoderate shortcomings and improving our effect to survivors moving forward.”

The Met’s dedicated Complex Investigation Team continues to reappraisal each reports astir Al Fayed and prosecute tenable lines of enquiry.

Police are moving intimately with the CPS and volition beryllium seeking aboriginal proposal connected charging decisions for those inactive alive.

All erstwhile investigations are being actively reviewed to place immoderate missed opportunities, recognising techniques and practices person progressed importantly implicit the past 20 years.

They person already reviewed much than 50,000 pages of evidence, including unfortunate and interaction statements, and retrieved important amounts of worldly stored successful archives.

A unit added: “No transgression charges were brought against Al Fayed portion helium was live and we recognise the interaction this has had connected galore victims.

“From the reappraisal truthful far, it is evident that past investigations were extended and conducted by specializer teams who sought charging decisions from the CPS connected 2 occasions.

“However, we cognize that interaction with and enactment for immoderate victims astatine the clip could person been improved.

“Only aft completing this broad reappraisal volition we afloat recognize what could person been done differently.”

Survivors and witnesses are invited to interaction the Complex Investigation Team connected 020 8217 6582 oregon 6586, via 101 quoting notation CAD2195/27NOV24 oregon connected the email: CIT@met.police.uk