Met Police asked prosecutors to decide whether to charge Mohamed Al Fayed over just two out of 21 allegations

19 October 2024, 13:12 | Updated: 19 October 2024, 13:17

Just two out of 21 sexual offence claims made against Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed were sought by the Metropolitan Police.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed that the Met Police only requested prosecutors to charge the former Harrods owner for a small minority of offences.

The claims against Al Fayed, who died aged 94 last year, were made when he was alive. He was never charged for the offences while he was alive.

The new claims have prompted the force to start proceedings for an internal review into why these initial claims were not thoroughly investigated by the force at the time.

The CPS is reported to have sought two sexual offence claims made against Al Fayed by one woman in 2009.

Six years later, the CPS decided to charge a rape allegation and an allegation of aiding and abetting rape by a female suspect.

Read more: Former Fulham Ladies captain Ronnie Gibbons alleges she was 'groped' by Mohamed Al Fayed

Read more: Met police probe 40 new rape and sexual assault allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed

In light of new documentary investigations into the former Harrods billionaire, Al Fayed has since been accused of sexual offences – including rape and sexual assault - by at least 65 women, with claims dating from as far back as 1977.

Some of these women are alleged to be Harrods employees.

Forty women have contacted the police to report sexual offences against Al Fayed, the Met Police confirmed. The offences are said to have occurred between 1979 to 2013.

There are now serious questions being asked about the Met Police’s approach to charging the former Harrods owner, ignoring allegations made by a staggering 19 women, according to the BBC.

Some of the alleged issues of the force’s approach include its failure to consider the link between the separate offences made against Al Fayed, and its inability to gather further evidence and claims from other victims.

Zoe Billingham, a former inspector at the police regulator, said: “It beggars belief that 21 women came forward to the Met with presumably very similar allegations about a wealthy man in a position of extreme power and authority and yet nothing happened, again.

"There should have been a full investigation. And this raises questions…. Were the police building a proper file for the prosecution in the first place?

“There is a broader question here - that’s the question of culture. At that time, and perhaps even now, were woman coming forward with these types of allegations being taken seriously, were they being listen too or were they being fobbed off.”

Former Fulham Ladies captain Ronnie Gibbons alleges she was sexually assaulted twice by Al Fayed.

The former Harrods boss owned the club between 1997 and 2013. He was a chairman at the time of the alleged assault against Gibbons and is reported to have organised ‘club business’ meetings where the allegations took place.

Gibbons says that she was ‘groped’ by Al Fayed at an office at the Knightsbridge department store.

Speaking to The Athletic, she said: "I was used. I just felt a huge responsibility on my shoulders because we'd just turned professional.

"Everything internally was screaming at me, 'Ronnie, you need to leave', but I couldn't because I would be to blame for all these women losing their jobs and Fulham Ladies going down the pan.

"I couldn't allow anything to happen to me, but at the same time, I couldn't just run for the hills, which is what I wanted to do," she continued.

Gibbons explained that the assault took place after she was driven from the club’s training ground to Harrods by a member of club staff.

A Scotland Yars spokesperson told the BBC: "We are carrying out full reviews of all existing allegations reported to us about Al Fayed to ensure there are no new lines of enquiry based on new information which has emerged.

"This includes liaising with the Directorate of Professional Standards where appropriate."