Mohamed al-Fayed - latest: Harrods boss ruled over ‘toxic and abusive’ culture, says US lawyer Gloria Allred

Dozens of women have now come forward to allege rape or sexual assault against the former Harrods owner.

Barrister Dean Armstrong said the legal team had been retained by 37 accusers and was “in the process of being retained by many more”.

In BBC documentary Al-Fayed: Predator At Harrods, more than 20 female former employees told their stories as part of an investigation, including five who say they were raped.

Claims had previously been made but police had taken no action, it’s been reported.

But since the documentary, more women have spoken up.

Mohammed Al Fayed’s former head of security told an alleged victim “someone could jump out the bushes at you” after she complained to Harrods about a sexual assault, lawyers have said.

Barrister Maria Mulla told journalists of a client who was threatened by ex-security chief and former Scotland Yard detective chief superintendent John Macnamara.

The barrister said: “One woman that we represent was sexually assaulted, and she had the bravery and courage to raise this in a formal written complaint to Harrods.

“On the same day of making this written complaint, the head of security, John Macnamara, contacted her and said: ‘You are a girl alone in London. Someone could jump out the bushes at you, or you could have a sudden accident.

“‘You need to deny what you have said in the first letter, with a second letter, which you must drop off before noon the following day.’

“She of course did what she was told because she was absolutely petrified.”

Mr Macnamara died at the age of 83 in September 2019.

The manager of Fulham says the football club was sad to hear the allegations about its owner Mohamed Al Fayed.

Marco Silva, when asked about the BBC documentary containing the rape and sex assault claims, said: “I haven’t watched it [the documentary]. I have had a conversation with Carmelo [Mifsud, the press officer], and of course the club have put a statement out. It’s always important for the club to put a statement out.

“From myself, and I’m speaking on behalf of the football club, it is really sad for us to hear. But there’s nothing more from me. The statement from the club was clear.”

Fulham Football Club have shared a statement after lawyers investigating allegations of sexual abuse by the club’s former owner Mohammad Al Fayed warned there could be victims “wherever he went”.

A Fulham FC spokesperson said: “We are deeply troubled and concerned to learn of the disturbing reports following yesterday’s documentary. We have sincere empathy for the women who have shared their experiences.

“We are in the process of establishing whether anyone at the club is or has been affected. Should any person wish to share information or experiences relating to these allegations, we encourage them to contact the club at safeguardingfulhamfc.com or the police.”

Barristers representing the alleged victims of Mohamed Al Fayed have said the case “combines some of the most horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein”.

The late Harrods’ owner was described as a “monster” during a press conference held by the legal team featured in the BBC documentary Al-Fayed: Predator At Harrods.

You can read more in this report:

Barrister Dean Armstrong KC said compensation from Harrods for women who have claimed sexual abuse against Mohamed Al Fayed would be “welcome”.

He said: “If Harrods feel that they ought to compensate women financially for what they’ve done and how they failed them, then of course that is something which we would welcome.

“But we are not going to sit here and accept any suggestion that we are only interested in money.

“This is about much, much, much more.”

Harrods’ current owners said they stood by a statement issued on Thursday which said they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations of abuse, and have set up a page on its website inviting former employees to come forward if they have any allegations.

My colleague Lucy Leeson has more details here:

There are not enough women in top professional roles in the UK, leading women’s rights lawyer Gloria Allred told the press conference.

“If we had a more integrated workplace by gender and race and age, ethnic origin sexual orientation and so forth, we would have a better workplace, a more productive workplace,” Ms Allred said.

“It would be in a corporation’s interest to do that. There are not enough women in the UK or in the US who are at the top level.”

“That has to change, and maybe we’d have less sexual abuse by people in power if the people in power were women.”

Barrister Maria Mulla told the press conference: “We are aware of allegations that have been made at other places of work. We represent also women who were employed by the Ritz.

“We don’t at this stage represent any women who, for instance, sustained attacks at Fulham Football Club but our investigations are obviously ongoing into all these entities that he had an involvement in”.

“Because our investigations so far have revealed that the number of women involved in this, simply from Harrods, has been startling. So it’s highly unlikely that there are not victims out there from these other places of work.

“Wherever he went, there will be victims.”

Al Fayed was the owner of the Ritz Paris hotel