Former Harrods employee details horrors of alleged sexual harassment at the hands of Mohamed Al-Fayed

27 September 2024, 10:49 | Updated: 27 September 2024, 11:17

A woman who alleges she was sexually harassed by Mohamed Al-Fayed has told LBC News she's "delighted" the authorities are finally taking the claims against him seriously.

Dozens of women have accused the former Harrods boss - who died a year ago - of rape and assault.

Yesterday, the Metropolitan Police announced it was looking at whether anyone else could be pursued for criminal offences.

They also urged potential victims of al-Fayed to come forward.

Cheska - who worked at Harrods at the time - told Nick Ferrari at Breakfast about her encounter with al-Fayed when she worked at the luxury department store.

Victim of Mohamed Al-Fayed tells her story

Al-Fayed is said to have told Cheska to stay at one of the apartments in Park Lane following a late shift.

It's claimed he offered to help her to make a portfolio in order to support her acting career.

However, he instructed her to wear a swimming costume. Cheska said Fayed set up a camera in his bedroom and gave her a script with the words “Take me, take me, please”.

“It was almost as though he’d set it up as an invitation for him to make the move”.

“He came round from behind the camera and grabbed hold of my arms and planted a kiss on my mouth, he was fairly forceful with it.”

“I pushed him off and I wriggled away and I said ‘What are you doing? This is unacceptable. You’re married’”.

She said he laughed, as he often would - saying that for him it was “powerplay”.

She added he was very dismissive while she was very distressed.

“It was fun for him. It was a game. It was cat and mouse.”

She then said she left, got a taxi and never returned.

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The appeal from the Met comes as the managing director of Harrods publicly apologised to victims after admitting Mohamed al-Fayed "presided over toxic culture of secrecy" in the store that included "sexual misconduct".

Michael Ward, who worked for Al Fayed from 2006 to 2010 and is the current boss of the Kensington department store, has labelled the culture under the multi-millionaire "toxic".

He says he "failed our colleagues and for that we are deeply sorry" following allegations of sexual misconduct within the company.

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The statement released by the current Harrods boss reads: "As managing director of Harrods, I wanted to convey my personal horror at the revelations that have emerged over the past week.

"We have all seen the survivors bravely speak about the terrible abuse they suffered at the hands of Harrods former owner Mohamed Fayed."As we have already stated, we failed our colleagues and for that we are deeply sorry.

"As someone who has worked at Harrods since 2006, and therefore worked for Fayed until the change of ownership in 2010, I feel it is important to make it clear that I was not aware of his criminality and abuse.

"While it is true that rumours of his behaviour circulated in the public domain, no charges or allegations were ever put to me by the Police, the CPS, internal channels or others.

"Had they been, I would of course have acted immediately."

On Thursday, Harrods said that it had now introduced 50 new "sexual harassment officers" as part of a year-long review.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) twice decided not to prosecute Fayed after reviewing files of evidence presented by the police on the former Harrods owner.

Evidence was shown to the CPS in 2009 and 2015, but it decided not to go ahead with the prosecution because there was not "a realistic prospect of conviction".