Mohamed Al Fayed estate faces legal action from alleged victims
Five alleged victims of abuse by Mohamed Al Fayed are planning to launch legal action against the late billionaire's estate, solicitors say.The BBC understands this is the first time the Al Fayed estate has been notified of claims of this kind since allegations of abuse were broadcast in a BBC documentary last year.Three of the women worked for the late billionaire and former owner of Harrods as nannies and two as private air stewards between 1995 and 2012. They were between the ages of 18 and 30 when they say the abuse occurred.The Fladgate law firm, which represents the estate, has been contacted for comment.
Leigh Day, the law firm representing the alleged victims, say the women were subjected to "serious sexual abuse, harassment and mistreatment". Some allege they were threatened when they tried to raise concerns or report the abuse.Previous claims have been brought against Harrods, the department store owned by Al Fayed until 2010. Richard Meeran, one of the partners working on the women's case, told the BBC: "It is important that his estate is also made legally accountable for the widespread abuse he perpetrated against those who may never have had dealings with the famous store."The women are pursuing compensation under a personal injury claim. The letters of claim, which have been sent to the representatives of Al Fayed's estate on the women's behalf, signify the first formal step in the civil legal process prior to the start of court proceedings.Since the documentary Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods and podcast uncovered widespread allegations of abuse from former Harrods employees, the BBC has heard from close to 80 women who shared their own experiences.The earliest account of abuse heard by the BBC stretched as far back as 1977 and a number of women described being recruited by Al Fayed under false pretences before being sexually exploited by him.The Metropolitan Police have said more than 100 alleged victims have contacted them to say they were sexually abused by Al Fayed. They are currently reviewing a total of 21 allegations made before he died in 2023.A number of allegations were made against the businessman while he was still alive, but Al Fayed was never charged over rape and sexual assault allegations. In November, the Met announced an investigation into how it handled allegations relating to Al Fayed.Many of the women who have spoken to the BBC about their experiences have raised significant questions regarding how the predatory abuse they say they suffered was able to continue across numerous decades.The five women, being represented by Leigh Day, are also calling for an independent inquiry into the matter.
A spokesperson for Leigh Day added: "The letters are sent under the pre-action protocol for personal injury claims and mark the first formal step in the legal process prior to the commencement of court proceedings."In January, claims of abuse against Al Fayed and his brother Salah were heard in a UK court for the first time, in a civil case being brought against Harrods.Their only surviving brother, Ali Fayed, has also been accused of sexual assault by former employees of the department store. A spokesperson for Mr Fayed, who lives in the US, said previously that he unequivocally denied any and all the allegations of wrongdoing, adding that "the incidents simply never took place".Harrods' new owners have previously said they are "appalled" by the allegations of sexual abuse and have been investigating since 2023 whether any current members of staff were involved.In November, the Met said it was investigating at least five people it believes may have assisted or enabled Al Fayed's alleged sexual offences.
If you have information about this story that you would like to share please get in touch. Email MAFinvestigation@bbc.co.uk. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Garth Crooks gets driving ban: BBC football pundit blames hidden speed camera as he is ordered off the roads for six months for breaking 20mph limit
Former footballer turned BBC pundit Garth Crooks has been hit with a six-month driving ban after being caught speeding again. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker, 67, complained the speed camera that caught him was deliberately hidden but the magistrates disqualified him anyway. Stoke-on-Trent-born Crooks, who started his career with his home town club, went onto also play for Manchester United, WBA and Charlton Athletic before embarking on a media career with the BBC. He pleaded guilty to driving his silver 1.4 litre Mercedes A Class diesel hatchback in excess of 20mph along Camden Road, at the junction of Hillmarton Road, Holloway on January 3. Crooks, who lives in a £2m detached five-bedroom house in Kingston Hill, Kingston-upon-Thames, represented himself during the short hearing. Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court heard the camera captured three separate images of Crooks' vehicle travelling at 24mph. However, he asked the court for a 'little latitude' as he claimed the speed camera was behind 'two strategically positioned poles'. He already had nine penalty points on his licence for two speeding offences and for failing to comply with a traffic signal. Yesterday's three points triggered the automatic six-month ban for reaching twelve penalty points. Crooks - who was awarded the OBE in 1999 - told the court he was now 'retired' and in receipt of a £118,000 a year pension. Showing magistrates photographs of the camera that caught him Crooks said: 'I have come here today to admit my guilt of driving at twenty-four miles per hour in a twenty mile an hour zone. 'I ask for a little latitude. The speed camera was behind two poles, obliterating my sight lines. 'Had it not been for two strategically positioned poles I would have seen the camera and mediated my speed. 'I ask the court to look at the pictures of the proximity of the posts.' Bench Chairman D Simms told Crooks: 'We have observed the photographs and how the camera is situated, but the speed limit does apply to that road at all times. 'It is not a case that you should modify your speed by seeing the camera. You were speeding and that's why you are in court today.' Crooks, who won the FA Cup with Spurs in 1981 and 1982, along with the UEFA Cup in 1984 was fined £666, with £110 costs and ordered to pay a £266 victim surcharge. 'It is the lowest level of seriousness for this offence,' added Mr Simms. 'However, you have nine points on your record and this makes twelve points so you are disqualified from driving for six months for a totting offence. 'The offence of driving while disqualified is taken very seriously and could attract a custodial sentence.
Powys County Times
3 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Powys actor Tom Cullen to star as BBC hit the Gold returns
Powys actor Tom Cullen will be appearing on our screens this weekend as the BBC's hit show the Gold returns. Tom, who grew up in Llandrindod Wells, will reprise his role John Palmer in the factual drama series which is inspired by the true story of the 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery and the decades-long chain of events that followed. The Gold is the creation of highly acclaimed writer Neil Forsyth the creative force behind 'Bob Servant Independent' and 'Guilt'. The first series was a huge critical success with the Hugo Rifkind of The Times calling it "tremendous – I'm not sure there's been a drama like it in years' while the Evening Standard called it "a truly smart British crime drama with a classic feel and a knockout cast". The first series saw Cullen's Palmer work with Kenneth Noye, played by Jack Lowden, to melt down the stolen gold and launder it in the open market. According to Cullen, viewers can expect a big change in Palmer in the much anticipated second series. In an interview with the BBC ahead of the new series Cullen said: 'There's quite a large leap in terms of John Palmer from series one to series two. 'The themes of the show are a continuation of series one, in that it's about class, it's about money, it's about greed. It's about how money can be like an infection, and it can change the very makeup of a person. 'I also think it is about consequences. What happens if you push beyond your limits?' Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the County Times website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app In the same interview with the BBC, creator Neil Forsyth added: 'The second series of The Gold picks up from the first series when the police realise they were only ever chasing half of the gold. 'This series follows the second half of the Brink's-Mat gold and it's also a story of the consequences faced by several of our key characters across the entire show. 'I always saw The Gold as a two series show, following the two halves of the gold, so this will be the final series.'
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
My grandmother grew up brushing her teeth with radioactive toothpaste
Yes, I did listen to a bit of radio. Even a spot of Radio 4 comedy. Brave, I know, but I do like policeman turned comedian Alfie Moore's It's a Fair Cop (currently broadcast on Monday nights in the 6.30pm slot). But nothing serious. Nothing with any gravitas. Or nearly nothing. I did stumble on the latest series on Radio 4's The History Podcast. Well, I say, stumble but, actually, I was given a nudge by its producer. Read more I'd rather slept on Joe Dunthorne's current series Half-Life. I think I'd read the words 'Nazi Germany' in the blurb and decided it wasn't for me. How much Nazi Germany do you need, after all? But that really wasn't what Half-Life was about, as the arresting opening line testified: 'My grandmother,' Dunthorne began, 'grew up brushing her teeth with radioactive toothpaste.' Strong opener. Better still was the information that it was his grandmother's father who had made said toothpaste. Half-Life is a family biography that - like all family biographies - weaves into the flow of history. Dunthorne's great grandfather was a Jewish chemist working in a poison gas lab with the Nazis. And that is just the start of it. All episodes are available on BBC Sounds and The Road Through the Mountains, the episode that aired on Radio 4 this week (on Wednesday) was a particularly tough listen. At the heart of it was a telling of the story of the Dersim Massacre in Turkey in 1937 and 1938, when the Turkish government killed thousands of civilians during a Kurdish rebellion; 14,000 is the government figure. Others suggest the death toll was three or four times that number. 'That's why most people say the river was flowing blood,' Dunthorne's guide told him. 'It was not water, it was just blood.' To escape the Nazis, Dunthorne's family had fled to Turkey. His great grandfather may have helped the Turkish government buy chemical weapons from the Germans. Poison gas was then used to kill those who had fled into the mountains. History, Dunthorne is telling us here, leaves a stain on those who come afterwards. In Half-Lifee you can hear it in his voice. Over on 6 Music Tom Robinson was celebrating his 75th birthday on his Now Playing show on Sunday evening. The BBC's present was to take the slot away from him. Mary Anne Hobbs is taking over this weekend. Tom Robinson celebrated his 75th birthday (Image: BBC) Robinson, who has been occupying Sunday night on 6 Music for the last 14 years - in fact he's been a regular on the station for 23 years, all told - drolly opened proceedings by playing Here's Where the Story Ends by The Sundays. What followed was an understandably slightly self-indulgent two hours in which he played quite a few of his own songs - as requested by his listeners - and, for the most part, displayed a commendably stiff upper lip. He did admit that the whole thing was a little bittersweet, though he encouraged his listeners to tune in to Hobbs's show when it started. At least there were plenty of birthday/farewell messages from his fellow 6 Music DJs and the odd musician - Lauren Laverne, Nithin Sawhney, Jason from Sleaford Mods and Peter Gabriel most notably. Tony Blackburn - still going strong at 82 - also offered his congratulations, as did The Blue Nile's Paul Buchanan. The latter was presumably prompted by that old social media meme of Robinson dancing around the studio to Tinseltown in the Rain. Understandably. That tune is one of 20th-century Scotland's greatest gifts to the world. I was at best an irregular listener to Now Playing, but rather like the late Annie Nightingale, it was always clear Robinson had built up a real rapport with his audience. We're promised a 'borderless spectrum of music' on the new Mary Anne Hobbs show. That's her USP, of course. But is that what listeners want at teatime on Sunday? Time will tell. Listen Out For: Bill Dare: Comedy Alchemist, Radio 4, Thursday, June 12, 6.30pm Talking of Radio 4 comedy … This tribute programme celebrates the career of the late radio and TV comedy producer Bill Dare, creator of The Mary Whitehouse Experience and Dead Ringers. Dare was killed in a motor accident earlier this year.
