Editing Mohamed Al-Fayed (section)

=== Sexual misconduct scandal ===
In September 2024, [[BBC News]] reported that more than 20 women who had worked at Harrods have alleged that Al-Fayed sexually assaulted them; five of these women accused him of [[Rape in English law|raping]] them.<ref name="BBC News 2024-09-19">{{cite news |first1=Cassie |last1=Cornish-Trestrail |first2=Keaton |last2=Stone| first3=Erica |last3=Gornall |first4=Sarah |last4=Bell |title=Mohamed Al Fayed accused of multiple rapes by staff |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz6x635wpjxo |access-date=19 September 2024 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=19 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/19/harrods-ex-owner-mohamed-al-fayed-accused/|title=Women accuse Mohamed al-Fayed, billionaire and friend of U.K. royalty, of rape|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Karla|last=Adam|date=19 September 2024|access-date=19 September 2024}}</ref> Former manager of the women's club [[Fulham L.F.C.]], [[Gaute Haugenes]] said in September 2024 that to protect players from Al-Fayed they were not allowed to be left alone with him. He also said that members of staff were aware that he "liked young, blonde girls".<ref>{{cite web | title=Mohamed Al Fayed: Fulham 'protected' women's players from former owner | website=BBC Sport | date=20 September 2024 | url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c870d8ry859o | access-date=20 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/cps-al-fayed-sexual-abuse-harrods-explainer-b1183123.html|title=Mohamed Al Fayed: How billionaire was subject of sexual abuse claims for decades|date=20 September 2024 |publisher=Evening Standard}}</ref>  A documentary, ''Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods'' was broadcast on [[BBC Two]] which featured interviews with the women and explored evidence of the failure by Harrods to properly investigate the claims and the potential "cover-up" of abuse allegations.<ref name="BBC News 2024-09-19"/> On 21 September 2024, Dean Armstrong KC, a barrister representing alleged victims, said his team had 37 clients, but that he had been contacted by 150 individuals with claims about Al-Fayed.<ref>{{cite web | last=Mackintosh | first=Thomas | title=Mohammed Al Fayed: CPS did not prosecute Harrods owner twice | website=BBC Home | date=22 September 2024 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2k9ggjdjdo | access-date=22 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cm245q4qj4go |title=Victims of Mohamed Al Fayed tell BBC of alleged rape and trafficking|date=25 September 2024 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref> In September 2024, it has been reported that Kristina Svensson, who worked at Ritz hotel, will be the first victim to file a complaint against Mohamed Al Fayed in France, while previously the focus was on London.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Art |first=Pop Culture & |date=2024-09-25 |title=Mohamed Al Fayed abuse scandal: Kristina Svensson becomes first to file complaint in France |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2498658/mohamed-al-fayed-abuse-scandal-kristina-svensson-becomes-first-to-file-complaint-in-france |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}</ref>
On 26 September 2024, the [[Metropolitan Police]] said they would be exploring to see if anyone else should be pursued for criminal offences following the allegations made against Al-Fayed. On the same day, Harrods's managing director, Michael Ward, said Al Fayed "presided over a toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion and sexual misconduct".<ref>{{cite web | last=Cooney | first=Christy | title=Police to explore if anyone can be pursued over Fayed claims | website=BBC News | date=26 September 2024 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1e86j2gz51o | access-date=26 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Weaver |first1=Matthew |title=Met to face inquiry over handling of Mohamed Al Fayed allegations |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/08/met-to-hold-inquiry-over-handling-of-mohamed-al-fayed-allegations |website=The Guardian |date=8 January 2025}}</ref>

By 26 September it was thought that around 200 women, who previously worked for Al Fayed, had spoken to investigators with claims of rape and sexual assault.<ref>{{cite web | title=Over 200 women in legal talks with Harrods over Fayed abuse claims | website=Arab News | date=10 October 2024 | url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2574785/world | access-date=19 October 2024}}</ref>
In addition to reported sexual assault issues at Harrods, on 26 September sexual assault allegations were also made relating to Al-Fayed's ownership of Fulham FC between 1997 and 2013.<ref>{{cite web | last=Boffey | first=Daniel | title=Sexual assault claims made over Mohamed Al Fayed's Fulham tenure | website=the Guardian | date=26 September 2024 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/26/sexual-assault-claims-mohamed-al-fayed-fulham-football-club | access-date=27 September 2024}}</ref> On 27 September lawyers representing those making allegations against Al-Fayed said they were working with 60 women.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Anna |last=Lanche |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c749n4e3n17o |title=Sixty women in Mohamed Al Fayed Harrods legal case, lawyers say |date=27 September 2024 |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC |accessdate=27 September 2024}}</ref>

On 11 October the Metropolitan Police revealed that 40 new allegations, from 40 different people, including sexual assault and rape, had been made against Al-Fayed, covering a period between 1979 and 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0kj2vkjn58o|title=Police record 40 new allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed|date=11 October 2024|website=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/mohamed-al-fayed-harrods-met-police-b2627770.html|title=Police investigate 40 new allegations against Mohamed al-Fayed|date=11 October 2024|website=The Independent}}</ref>

On 18 October, former Fulham Ladies F.C. captain [[Ronnie Gibbons]] said that she had been [[Groping|groped]] twice by Al Fayed and that he had forcefully tried to kiss her in his private office at the Harrods store in 2000, when she was 20 years old.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ornstein |first1=David |last2=Williamson |first2=Laura |title=Mohamed Al Fayed accused of sexually assaulting Fulham Ladies captain at Harrods: 'I was used' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5851577/2024/10/18/mohamed-al-fayed-harrods-fulham-ronnie-gibbons/ |website=[[The Athletic]] |access-date=18 October 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241018125011/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5851577/2024/10/18/mohamed-al-fayed-harrods-fulham-ronnie-gibbons/ |archive-date=18 October 2024 |language=en |date=18 October 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Garry |first1=Tom |title=Former Fulham women's captain alleges sexual assault by Mohamed Al Fayed |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/18/former-fulham-womens-captain-alleges-sexual-assault-by-mohamed-al-fayed |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=18 October 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241018173646/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/18/former-fulham-womens-captain-alleges-sexual-assault-by-mohamed-al-fayed |archive-date=18 October 2024 |language=en |date=18 October 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=Laura |title=Ex-Fulham Ladies captain Ronnie Gibbons 'groped' by Al Fayed |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly6056vlgvo |website=[[BBC News]] |access-date=18 October 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241018171139/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly6056vlgvo |archive-date=18 October 2024 |language=en |date=18 October 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> By 21 October, Harrods announced that they were in the process of settling more than 250 claims for compensation brought by women who had alleged sexual misconduct by Al Fayed.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Price | first1=Ellie | last2=Cursino | first2=Malu | title=Mohamed Al Fayed: Harrods settling more than 250 claims against former owner | website=BBC News | date=21 October 2024 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg9gnw44e4o | access-date=22 October 2024}}</ref> By 31 October, 400 alleged victims or witnesses had presented themselves to lawyers concerning allegations of sexual misconduct. It was described, at the time, by a lawyer representing the Justice for Harrods Survivors group as "the worst case of corporate abuse of women the world has ever seen".<ref>{{cite web | title=More than 400 come forward over Mohamed Al Fayed sexual abuse allegations | website=BBC News | date=31 October 2024 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy7dgrkp2vzo | access-date=31 October 2024}}</ref> Some women claimed that they had been sexually abused by both Al Fayed and his brother Salah, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title='Mohamed Al Fayed's brother Salah also abused us', say women|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/one-bbc-harrods-london-france-b2647385.html |first=William |last=Warnes |newspaper=The Independent |date=14 November 2024}}</ref>

In November 2024, it was found that the Metropolitan Police were told about allegations of sexual assault against Al Fayed ten years earlier than it had acknowledged.<ref name="BBC News 2024-11-01">{{cite news |first1=Hannah |last1=Price |first2=Daniel |last2=De Simone |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg7nk5dx0wo |title=Met told about Al Fayed a decade earlier than stated |date=1 November 2024 |access-date=1 November 2024}}</ref> The Met had claimed that it first received such allegations in 2005.<ref>{{cite news |first=Daniel |last=De Simone |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8egz8gr8lo |title=Met only sought Al Fayed charges for two victims |work=BBC News |date=19 October 2024 |access-date=1 November 2024}}</ref> However, in 1995, the Met had received such allegations from Samantha Ramsay, who is now deceased. The BBC reported that "Samantha's family say the Met dismissed her claims. They believe that multiple women could have been saved from sexual abuse if the force had acted." The Met claimed that there was no history of Samantha's allegations on their computer system, "but that in 1995 some reports were paper-based and might not have been transferred." Ramsay's sister, Emma, recalled the police as having said at the time: "We've added it to a pile of other female names that we've got that have made the same complaint against Mohamed Al Fayed."<ref name="BBC News 2024-11-01"/> The Metropolitan Police has said it is investigating more than five people it believes may have assisted or enabled Al Fayed's sexual offences.<ref name="BBC News 2024-11-27">{{Cite web |date=27 November 2024|title=Mohamed Al Fayed: Police investigate more people over billionaire's abuse |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce9gle4m1v3o |access-date=27 November 2024|website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> By the end of November 2024, the inquiry was looking into alleged offences between 1977 and 2014 with the youngest victim aged 13.<ref name="BBC News 2024-11-27"/>