Latest news with #RitzHotel
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
How was Al Fayed able to get away with sick abuse for so long? Those who covered up for monster must be punished
FACT or fiction, it used to be the first thing you ever heard about Harrods: it's the luxury shop where you can get ANYTHING. Turns out that also included being raped, forced into abortion, subjected to medical examinations, bullied, humiliated and ordered to crawl around the floor on all fours and bray like a donkey. 5 As we reveal today, Mohamed Fayed, the gruesome goblin who presided over this vulgar hypermarket for the super-rich, terrorised his staff for decades. Brave victims tell of how he used his power as self-appointed Shopkeeper-in-Chief to defile everyone from the girls on the perfume counter to one of his own PAs. Like Belinda, who bravely reveals today how she was forced to abort a baby fathered by Fayed after he raped her. And the poor assistant forced into that humiliating donkey routine for wearing the wrong shoes, then laughed at by a maniacal Fayed, drunk on his own sadism. No woman, it appears, was immune to Fayed's predatory perversions and warped views, with which he polluted both his Harrod's store and his Ritz hotel in Paris. And tomorrow, in the second part of our serialisation of Alison Kervin's bombshell book, we will hear more of his criminal acts and how young victims who did not even work for him got caught up in his web of depravity. The more the world learns about this evil Egyptian, who raped, abused and degraded hundreds of women, the more pressing the question: how the hell did he get away with it? How was this larger-than-life character, so desperate to be British (his bid to be a citizen was denied twice after he failed the 'good character' test), able to carry out his despicable deeds? Fayed and his reign of terror is a facsimile of that other monster hiding in plain sight, Jimmy Savile. He too lived his entire life without facing justice — or even any police charges — for his appalling actions. Both men were known to be predatory but were protected by a conspiracy of silence and cover-ups that sought to save the abuser at all cost. Indeed, Fayed's crimes were enabled by many, possibly hundreds. His reputation was airbrushed at every opportunity — not least by his old spokesman Michael Cole, who rushed to the airwaves to praise his former boss after his death aged 94 in 2023. 'Fayed did more good in the world than all his critics rolled together,' he declared. Some good! Cole insists he never saw or knew of any crimes committed by his wonderful, benevolent boss. But whatever he thought, there are many others — possibly hundreds — who could not make the same assertion. 5 All the lawyers, managers, security staff, doctors, spin doctors on the phoney pharaoh's payroll. Who forced the women to sign the NDAs? Who sat by when Fayed bullied and humiliated staff yet said nothing? And what of the CPS, which TWICE decided not to prosecute him despite evidence from police including that he raped a 15-year-old in the Harrods boardroom. Numerous lawyers have now filed civil claims against Harrods. No heads have rolled The Justice For Harrods Survivors group is working with at least 260 women. Harrods, now owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, has revealed it is in the process of settling more than 250 claims with payouts up to £385,000 if stringent — some say too stringent — tests are satisfied (such as agreeing to be seen by a consultant psychologist). So cash and apologies are on the table. Good. But still no heads have rolled. Few other perpetrators have been singled out, despite Harrods conducting an undertaking review into who enabled Fayed. That investigation rumbles on in private with no end in sight — and no guarantee that any of the survivors will actually get to see the outcome. The secrecy has only exacerbated their pain and frustration. 5 Meanwhile the Met Police are still investigating at least five people who may have assisted Fayed's offences. Ex-Harrods shelf stacker Shanta Sundarason, who was attacked by Fayed in his office, this week wrote on behalf of the victims to Sir Keir Starmer demanding a public inquiry. 'We need people called up under oath . . . so we can understand how people were allowed to facilitate, to enable,' she said. 'We need to ensure this never happens again.' Starmer should grant one, just as Harrods must reveal the findings of its own investigation. Because until the enablers are uncovered there will remain one thing you absolutely cannot get from Harrods: justice. SIMON'S JET TO JOLLIES TUNED in to Simon Reeve's latest BBC2 travelogue on Scandinavia and thought I'd accidentally stumbled upon a party political broadcast from the Green Party. Globe-trotting Simon filled a good chunk of his licence fee-funded show blasting Norway for daring to use its fossil fuel resources to create one of the world's happiest countries. Norway does drill a huge amount of oil and gas, it's true, but exports the vast majority of it to places like, er, Britain. It is then used for powering things such as jet engines, which propel people like eco-warrior Simon Reeve around the globe. So far he has been to more than 130 different countries and I think it's fair to assume he didn't walk to many of them. Wizard Arabella already battling trolls 5 I SEE the low IQ mob were out in force this week having a pop at the new girl who will play Hermione in the Harry Potter reboot. Poor old Arabella Stanton faced an onslaught in the usual social media swamps for having the temerity to not be porcelain white like the 'original' star Emma Watson. I actually have no idea what this evidently talented youngster's ethnic mix is because frankly it's irrelevant. Harry Potter is a fantasy world where the colour of anyone's skin matters not one bit. And to those who think it does, I urge them to get hold of a dictionary and look up the word 'racist'. UNITED IN GRIEF AS a proper Man United fan – ie one who lives in North London – it's been a tough week. I had managed to avoid any Spurs fans and their street parade near my home until Friday. Having popped into a pub for a last one of the night, I bumped into a supporter of the Premier League's 17th-placed club, freshly returned from Bilbao. A lack of sobriety meant I squawked out my club affiliation, expecting a barrage of banter at my expense. But it never came. Instead my new pal simply shrugged and said: 'Sorry, mate, but we needed it more than you.' He was, of course, correct. And suddenly my exasperation evaporated – replaced by a warm feeling that humility can exist among supporters of the beautiful game. QUITE A HAUL, HOYLE 5 THE increasingly grand Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is evidently getting used to the high life on his five-star taxpayer-funded jaunts around the world. He's now spent a further £55,000 of our cash doing up the four bathrooms and kitchen in his grace and favour flat in MARBLE. No doubt the pompous MP for Chorley is looking to ensure his bathing quarters are of a high enough standard to house all the fancy toiletries he's been pocketing as part of the 300 gifts he has bagged over the past four years. With all these state-funded furnishings and freebies, I'm starting to wonder if this servant of the people needs the £170,000 we pay him every year.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Kim Kardashian puts on a busty display in a black faux-fur top as she steps out in Paris with stylish mum Kris Jenner after tearful testimony in $10million jewellery heist trial
Kim Kardashian turned heads on Wednesday evening as she stepped out in Paris with her mum, Kris Jenner, amid her ongoing $10M jewellery heist trial. The influencer, 44, who enjoyed a night out at the swanky Ferdi restaurant before returning to the five-star Ritz Hotel, looked incredible as she put on a busty display in a black faux-fur top. Kim teamed the chic ensemble with a dark grey textured, figure-hugging skirt that showcased her enviable hourglass figure. Draped over her shoulders was a large faux-fur coat, offering some protection from the chilly evening breeze as she left the restaurant. She added inches to her frame with a pair of clear open-toe heels and styled her long dark tresses in a sleek, straight look. Meanwhile, her mum Kris, 69, looked effortlessly chic in a black off-the-shoulder top featuring a ruffled neckline and short puffed sleeves. The mother-of-six paired the top with stylish high-waisted tailored trousers and boosted her height with classic black court heels. To elevate her look further, Kris accessorised with a stack of diamond bracelets, matching statement earrings, and a pair of trendy black sunglasses. She styled her short dark hair in a slicked-back look and wore a radiant makeup palette as she beamed for the cameras. Kim and Kris's outing in Paris comes just days after Kim was seen wearing a lavish diamond necklace and earrings as she prepared to testify at the trial of the gang accused of robbing her at gunpoint in her Paris hotel room in 2016. The influencer was joined by her mother Kris as she made her way into the courtroom on Tuesday afternoon. Kardashian - who was dressed in a black blazer, skirt and sunglasses - waved at onlookers and press before pulling her mother aside for a brief chat. It marks the first time Kardashian will confront the suspected 'grandpa gang' of Paris robbers who are accused of stealing jewellery worth millions of dollars from her. In the aftermath, Kardashian was said to have vowed to stop showing off her jewels on social media. For her court appearance, the reality star wore a $3 million necklace by Samer Halimeh New York, crafted in 18K white gold and featuring 80 diamonds, culminating in a 10.13-carat pear-shaped center stone. She added a Sloan Pave diamond ear cuff worth $8,300 and a second Serti Sur Vide Earcuff by Repossi made up of 12 pear shaped diamonds for 4.55 carats. Jeweller Zack Stone noted that Kim was sporting a diamond anklet that had been given to her by daughter North. Stone told MailOnline: 'Kim's anklet looks like it could be the sentimental piece she received from North for Mother's Day, featuring the birthstones of her four children. 'Set with round-cut diamonds, it's delicately accented with a single pearl, a pear-cut garnet, a pear-cut zircon, and an emerald-cut emerald. I'd estimate its value at around $8,000. 'On her right hand, Kim is sporting a massive ring. While the exact cut is hard to confirm, the diamond appears to be at least 20 carats, set in a solitaire design that further emphasises its remarkable size. 'Given these details, it's safe to assume the ring carries a hefty price tag - my estimate would be around $3.5 million.' Inside the courtroom, Kardashian broke down in tears as she shared her fears that she thought she would raped that evening. She previously told David Letterman about the heist in a 2020 interview: 'They kept on saying "the ring, the ring." 'I kept looking at the concierge,' she continued, referring to the concierge of the exclusive hotel who had been forced at gunpoint to lead the gang to her apartment. 'I was like, "Are we gonna die? Just tell them I have children, I have babies... I have to get home".' Yunice Abbas, 71, who is among the 10 suspects standing trial, many in their late 60s or 70s and dubbed 'the grandpa gang,' has told French media that he and others who took part in the robbery did not know who Kardashian was. 'It's not her, it's her diamond we targeted,' Abbas told C8 TV a few years ago. Abbas has admitted his participation in the robbery - writing a book about his role. In interviews with French media, he said he was sorry for what he did and wanted to apologise to Kardashian. There is no possibility of a guilty plea in such cases and Abbas is standing trial despite admitting to playing a role in the robbery. Frank Berton, a lawyer representing 68-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, nicknamed 'Omar the Old,' said last month he hoped the fact that Kardashian is a global star won't affect the trial. Khedache is accused of being the gang's ringleader, which he denies. 'This trial attracts international attention because of who the plaintiff, the victim, is,' Berton said. The mother-of-six paired the top with stylish high-waisted tailored trousers and boosted her height with classic black court heels (pictured earlier in the day heading to the ferry) 'What we hope is that it won't change anything in the way the facts are judged,' he said. (Writing by Ingrid Melander, reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Michael Perry) Kardashian jetted into the French capital on Monday, sharing a picture of her view from the plane that she captioned simply with a French flag. While it is not known what the SKIMS founder got up to the night before her day in court, her mother Jenner took to Instagram to reveal she had spent the evening at dinner with partner Corey Gamble and Michael Coste. The suspects in the trial are accused of tying up billionaire Kardashian with zip ties and duct tape before making off with jewels, including a $4 million engagement ring given to her by her then-husband rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye), according to investigators. Ahead of Kardashian's testimony, her stylist Simone Harouche, who was asleep in the same luxury hotel flat at the time of the attack, spoke to the court on Tuesday morning. 'We've been friends since we were little girls. So when I heard this sound, it was very different, and it woke me up, because it was a sound that I had never heard from Kim. It was terror,' Harouche, who was downstairs in the duplex flat, told the court.'I have babies, and I have to live' - that's what I heard her say,' Harouche recalled, adding that she rushed to lock herself in the bathroom and texted Kardashian's sister Kourtney and their bodyguard for help. When the robbers left and Kardashian joined her downstairs, 'she was beside herself, I've never seen her like that before,' Harouche said. 'She just was screaming and kept saying we need to get out of here, we need help, what are we going to do if they come back.'
Vogue
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Kim Kardashian Pushes High-Low Dressing to the Extreme
This week, Kim Kardashian testified in French court about the harrowing 2016 jewel heist that left her afraid for her life. True to form, the reality star arrived at yesterday's trial dripping in diamonds, including a showstopping $1.5 million necklace from Samer Halimeh, which she wore with her vintage John Galliano skirt suit. But Kardashian's penchant for pomp didn't stop at the trial—the rest of her fashion on this Paris trip has been nothing short of over-the-top. Today, she and her mother, Kris Jenner, left the Ritz Hotel, both dressed in eye-catching attire. Kardashian leaned hard into high-low dressing in a floor-sweeping cream wrap dress with a dramatic ostrich feather collar and trim, which she cinched with a brown belt with silver hardware. The plunging dress revealed a nude lace bralette. While the industrial belt added some contrast to the theatrical robe dress, Kardashian took it a step further by adding a blue baseball cap to her outfit. Sun protection is key, I guess! MEGA Jenner, for her part, stayed committed to the strong suiting she's worn throughout the trip. Today, she opted for a double-breasted burgundy number—complete with power shoulders, of course—a striped button-down, necktie, and matching burgundy loafers. Between her ornate diamond necklace and her feather-festooned dress, Kim Kardashian is driving home the point that she won't let anything dull her self-expression.
