Latest news with #grooming
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Disgraced Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed 'bought Princess Diana's old school to groom and rape underage girls', new book claims
Princess Diana 's old school to groom and rape underage girls, a new book has claimed. A former teacher at West Heath School in Kent, England, has revealed how the disgraced businessman bought the school on the promise to protect Diana's legacy - but instead used it to prey on vulnerable school pupils. The former owner of Harrods, who died in 2023 aged 94, raped one school girl, caused the suicide of another, and even fathered a baby with one underage pupil, the bombshell book alleges. In an extract from The Monster Of Harrods seen by The Sun, author Alison Kervin reveals how the depraved Egyptian business mogul targeted vulnerable school girls as well as young players at Fulham FC. Just a year after the death of the Princess of Wales in May 1998, al Fayed bought West Heath School which was teetering on the brink of financial collapse, under the guise of protecting a place which had been so special to the late royal. The Monster Of Harrods alleges that the businessman would regularly wander around the school unaccompanied, chatting to underage pupils. A former teacher revealed his visits always seemed inappropriate and 'creepy'. The former teacher explained he believed al Fayed was grooming the pupils and said he would promise them careers after they had finished and shower them with gifts from Harrods. The former owner of Fulham FC would also allegedly give girls lifts in his Rolls Royce and invite them to his house. He said: 'He shouldn't have been there. Benefactor or not, a man of that age should not be mixing with young girls, offering them lifts in his and chauffeur-driven limo, and buying them presents before inviting them to his house. How is any of that appropriate?'. The tell-all book also claims that one pupil was attacked by al Fayed in a bathroom, ripping her clothes and hurting her after inviting her to Harrods. A former pupil described how her friend was terrified to share what had happened to her: 'He told her that her parents would be told about how she had behaved and all the school would know that she was the one who had closed the school down. She was terrified - she felt like she was to blame, and nothing I said would calm her down.' Author Ms Kervin alleges that the brutal businessman threatened to close the school if the pupil reported him and refused to go to the police or to lawyers until the litany sexual abuse was revealed following his death. The former pupil said she was also aware of at least one other pupil who was raped by the predator and another who gave birth to a secret child. She also believes one woman committed suicide because of her experience with al Fayed. The school told The Sun: 'We do not tolerate abuse or harassment in any form.' In September 2024, in response to the BBC documentary Al Fayed: Predator At Harrods, they commented: 'We have no further information other than what is currently in the news.' And his abuse did not end with the Princess Diana's former school. A former soccer player for the Fulham Women's team al Fayed set up revealed she was humiliated and sexually harassed by the club owner. In The Monster Of Harrods, she alleges that she was desperate to become a footballer and took al Fayed at his word when he promised to help her make the team. She described sharing her hopes with the businessman who offered to speak with her privately in his apartment. But when she arrived, she claimed the conversation was centered around whether she had a boyfriend and if she had lost her virginity. When conversation did turn to football, the promising player said she was asked to show off her legs and despite feeling uncomfortable, took off her tracksuit bottoms at which point al Fayed tried to reach out and touch her. She said he also asked her to take off her underwear but he felt uncomfortable and ran for the door only to find it locked. She said she repeatedly banged on the door while al Fayed laughed at her. After her experience she said she fell out of love with the game and eventually left the club. And the aspiring player was one of several who experienced harassment and abuse at the hands of the al Fayed and despite them all reporting it to the police, they say nothing ever came of it. Mohamed al Fayed was hit with an avalanche of rape and assault claims after at least two former Harrods workers told a BBC documentary they had been raped or molested by the Egyptian tycoon. Meanwhile last year, London's Metropolitan Police revealed they were investigating 40 new allegations against al Fayed and others since the BBC documentary. The 40 new allegations related to 40 alleged victims and were in addition to allegations police were aware of before the BBC's investigation and documentary, Scotland Yard said. Prior to recent media coverage, 21 allegations were made against the late billionaire which resulted in crimes being recorded relating to 21 separate women between 2005 and 2023. The Met has now widened its investigation to look at associates who may have assisted and facilitated the abuse - meaning criminal charges could still be on the cards even though the direct perpetrators have died. It comes as a survivors group Justice for Harrods Survivors says it has 'credible evidence' suggesting the sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated at Harrods and the billionaire's properties 'was not limited to Mr al Fayed himself'.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
LookFantastic is selling a grooming kit for £135 less – it includes Jo Malone cologne & is the perfect Father's Day gift
IF your dad has enough mugs and golf balls to last him a life time, it may be time to switch up your gifts. And LookFantastic has made Father's Day shopping easier than ever with a beauty bundle that's cheaper than ever. The gift set includes a variety of skincare essentials and colognes for the perfect grooming routine. This Father's Day Edit bundle is currently priced at just £45, despite being worth a total of £180. Customers will save £135 on the nine premium grooming products from high-end brands such as Jo Malone and Elemis. The REN Clean Skincare Everhydrate Marine Moisture Serum, alone is normally priced at £40, meaning shoppers are getting the remaining products at just 62p each. This 30ml product delivers up to 72 hours hydration and is described as "the perfect low-maintenance moisturising cream". Also included is the Avène Hydrance Aqua-Gel Hydrating Cream, which is worth over £25. It comes in a 50ml pot and is "perfect for shielding skin against the elements", working to treat dry areas and keep your skin hydrated. A 200ml tube of Ameliorate Transforming Body Lotion, worth £24, is also featured in the bundle. It is designed to "smooth the look and feel of skin", working to leave skin soft to the touch. A popular Jo Malone product, worth £24, is another standout item in the set. Home Bargains launches Father's Day gifts in store & there's a £5.99 present shoppers are already snapping up The Cypress and Grapevine Intense Cologne, in the 9ml Deluxe-Size, has been described as "an earthy aromatic scent, with notes of vetiver and amber, leaving a long-lasting crisp woody aroma". Also featured is a full-size set of the Nip and Fab Glycolic Pads Extreme 50, which are worth over £18. These one-step wonders are said to leave you with "refreshed, healthy-looking skin". Simply swipe them over face every morning and evening to gently exfoliate and smooth your skin. A full-size 10g American Crew Boost Powder, which is worth over £18, is also available as part of the set. What is included in the gift bundle? REN Clean Skincare Everhydrate Marine Moisture Serum - Worth £40 Avène Hydrance Aqua-Gel Hydrating Cream - Worth Over £25 Ameliorate Transforming Body Lotion - Worth £24 Jo Malone Cypress and Grapevine Intense Cologne - Worth £24 Nip and Fab Glycolic Pads Extreme 50 - Worth Over £18 American Crew Boost Powder - Worth Over £18 Elemis Pro-Collagen Energising Marine Cleanser - Worth £13 This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray - Worth £10 Barber Pro Foaming Cleansing Mask - Worth £6 Just sprinkle the product on dry hair to give it "lift, thickness, and a matte finish". Shoppers will also find a 30ml Deluxe-Size of the Elemis Pro-Collagen Energising Marine Cleanser in the bundle. Worth £13, this easy-to-use cleanser helps to freshen up and hydrate your complexion. Apply it to damp skin every morning and night, rinsing off after 30 seconds. Also included is a 10ml Deluxe-Size of a This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray, which is worth £12. This spray helps you to "rest, relax, and rejuvenate" as you drift off, featuring notes of lavender and chamomile. Finally, the Barber Pro Foaming Cleansing Mask, worth £6, is featured in a full-size version. This self-foaming mask works to remove impurities, dirt, and oils, leaving your skin feeling clean and refreshed.
BBC News
10 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
'The abuse was almost daily' - Grooming survivors share their stories
Five women from across England who were groomed and abused as children or young adults have told BBC Newsnight about the ongoing impact it has had on their were targeted by adult men, mainly from a British Asian background, often against the backdrop of chaotic upbringings. They shared their stories on the same day the government confirmed the publication of a review into grooming gangs has been delayed. Kate Elysia Kate Elysia - not her real name - was abused by a gang of men of Pakistani origin in the Shropshire town of was first raped when she was 18, shortly after moving out of her family home into a bedsit, and has previously estimated she was attacked by more than 70 said her attackers treated her like "she was nothing" and that they "wanted to turn me into what they wanted me to be, so they could justify abusing me".She said her abusers would harass her on her doorstep and send men to her home asking for sex."The abuse was almost daily," she said, sometimes "multiple men a day".Kate, now 36, gave evidence to an independent inquiry into gang grooming in Telford, which found that 1,000 girls had been targeted and "nervousness about race" led to abuse being ignored for of the men who abused Kate - Mohammed Ali Sultan and Shahmeel Khan - were convicted of rape and sexual who was considered a ringleader of the gang, was released in February by the independent parole board - a decision the government said it was "disappointed" was approved for open prison conditions in is calling for the government to block her abuser from going into a low-security prison and be given the right to have day release."I'm very concerned for the public, and I'm very concerned for myself," she described him as a "scary, violent individual" and that she fears for herself and the public if he is allowed back into the community."I don't think that he would be safe to leave prison at all." Zara Zara - not her real name - the first victim of prolific abuser David Saynor to share their story publicly, told BBC Newsnight it left her fighting a "battle that I'll always be in".Saynor used his limousine business to lure child victims in Rotherham - his trial heard how we would pick up young girls at schools and children's homes and offer them "promotional work"."[It] started off as that - just promoting, getting picked up in groups and driving around, drinking, dancing," she told was just 12 when she was first groomed by Saynor, a white British man who would give his victims alcohol, drugs and money before attacking them."The more you did, the more money he'd offer you... it became normal to do that," she said she and a friend were "getting picked up from school, getting picked outside our local youth club" but no adults raised concerns."It's impacted my whole life," Zara said. "From being the age of 12, I've not lived a normal life. "I witnessed Dave assault my friend, which is the first memory that I've got of that feeling of fear, like that unexplainable fear that comes over you. And I carry guilt with me for that."Last year, Saynor, 77, was jailed for 24 years after being found guilty of 15 offences against eight young girls - including two counts of rape and five counts of meeting a child following sexual Zara also alleged she was abused by another man from a British Pakistani background, who is due to go on trial. Zara said of that alleged abuse: "To me, in my head, he was my boyfriend... he didn't abuse me straight away, so I was convinced it was a normal relationship."Zara, who is from a mixed English and Asian background, said: "It was easy for me to accept the flattery and compliments and to feel wanted... I was kind of wanting to indulge in that side of my heritage because my dad wasn't present for a while."She said police officers stopped her and the alleged abuser on more than one occasion over suspicions about an older man being with a young girl, but that nothing was done which might have led to the abuse being uncovered. Fiona Fiona Goddard was abused by a predominantly British Asian grooming gang in Bradford from the age of 14, shortly after being taken into began after one of her abusers, Basharat Khaliq, took Fiona and her friend, also 14, to a petrol station to buy them vodka."The abuse started as being more coercive, but then the more you resisted it... by the end it was violent rapes," she said."The more you resisted and tried to point out what was going on the worse it got."Fiona recounted how she had told adults about the sexual assaults she had recalled being asked if she was being groomed, but at the time she didn't understand the meaning of the word. But when asked if the men had been violent, she said yes."We basically told them that we were being groomed without using the words, but they just never did nothing," she groomers plied her with drugs and gifts. A court heard that she was "in effect used as a prostitute" by another of her has previously recounted how she was driven to suicidal thoughts and self-harm as a February 2019, nine men were convicted of 22 offences against Fiona and jailed. Khaliq received 20 years for five counts of contacted by BBC Newsnight, a spokesperson for Bradford Council said there were "significant failings" in how Fiona was cared for and reiterated its apology to her. Chantelle Chantelle was groomed and raped by a gang of British Asian men in Manchester between 2003 and 2007, beginning when she was 11 years was in the care system at the time as her mother was in and out of prison."There was males approaching the children's home, giving us alcohol and drugs and putting us in cars," she ordeal began after she met a man in his early twenties who, at the time, she considered to be her has previously recalled how he introduced her to other men and she was given alcohol and drugs, before being forced to perform sex acts on them."They sexually abused us, drugged us... made us do things we didn't want to do," she said."It was the emotional and mental impact as well that used to make you feel like you only wanted them... so you keep going back."Chantelle also recounted the time she was reported as a missing child from the children's home and later found naked in a man's house by a female was then taken back to the children's home where she reported the abuse to the Chantelle later discovered that no police report was filed at the years on, she is now being asked by police to identify the officer who found her."The female officer who found me never put it on the system. The report is there that she found me, but none of the abuse that I told her had been logged," she case is being investigated by Greater Manchester Police. No one has been charged with an who is now 33, is also suing Manchester City Council for the abuse she endured while under its care.A spokesperson for the local authority said they were "deeply sorry" for what happened to her, and that she had been "let down by the system"."Not enough was done to protect her and other vulnerable young people in similar circumstances in the late 1990s and 2000," the spokesperson said. Jade Jade said she was abused by hundreds of men, primarily from a British Asian background, in the Buckinghamshire area from the age of 14 began after she left her mother's home to live with her father, a drug addict who introduced her to a chaotic upbringing, Jade believed those dealers could protect her - but from that point on, she says she was repeatedly attacked by adult men at parties while 2008, she was placed into care and a year later was made subject to a special safeguarding order for children who repeatedly going Jade was arrested and convicted of causing or inciting another girl to engage in sexual activity after being found by police at a party with another said she was "accused of taking girls out to get sexually assaulted" but "didn't have a clue what was happening"."It's police failure, social services failure," she remains a convicted sex offender but believes that none of the men she says abused her have been convicted of a to her conviction, she said she's had to fight social services to keep her children."I've never been allowed on school trips with my children," she explained."I'm not allowed to apply for jobs for the work I want to go into with vulnerable kids."Still trying to clear her name, Jade said the experience has "been the worst experience of my life"."It's just as bad as the abuse."It feels like I'm still being abused by them. It feels like they're still controlling my life."The Maggie Oliver Foundation - a survivors charity set up by a former police officer who raised concerns about how abusers in Rochdale were investigated - said it is supporting Jade to have her conviction overturned. What the data on grooming gangs shows The BBC has obtained new police data on the ethnicity of suspects arrested on suspicion of gang grooming offences in England and Wales in National Police Chiefs' Council (NPPC) figures indicated that British Pakistanis were substantially over-represented among 2024, of grooming gang suspects where an ethnicity was recorded, just over half were white British, and around one in eight were British Pakistani - even though one in 40 people in England and Wales were of Pakistani heritage according to the 2021 NPCC told Newsnight that the figures should be regarded with caution because just under a third of suspects had their ethnicity widespread failure to collect high quality data on abusers, victims and offences was criticised by the 2022 Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Chief Constable Becky Riggs, the NPCC's lead for child protection and abuse investigation, told BBC Newsnight that gang grooming offences had impacted every part of the country and cases were said: "I genuinely think out of 44 [police] forces, very few would say there isn't a crime of that type being investigated in their [area]." If you have been affected by any issues in this report, help and support is available on the BBC Action Line.
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Woman, 29, is charged after allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with boy, 15, at work
A 29-year-old woman has been charged with grooming and sexual assault after an alleged inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old boy. The woman, who is from a Canberra suburb, was charged following her arrest on Saturday with offences relating to a teenage boy she worked with. She has been charged with grooming a young person, possessing child exploitation material, three counts of committing an act of indecency on a young person under 16 and two counts of sexual intercourse with a person aged between 10 and 16. More to come
BBC News
19 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Grooming survivors to speak to Newsnight
Update: Date: 21:56 BST Title: Phillips apologises for delay to grooming gang report Content: Earlier today Home Office Minister Jess Phillips apologised to MPs for a delay to the publication of a report on grooming gangs. In January, the government asked Baroness Louise Casey to lead a "rapid" three-month audit into the data and evidence on the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse. Asked about the status of the review in the House of Commons earlier, which was due to be published in May, Phillips said she was sorry for the wait and that Baroness Casey requested a short extension, adding that it was expected "very shortly". "When we have the report the government will respond to it and lay out its plans with all the evidence in hand,' she told MPs. Update: Date: 21:50 BST Title: What's in store on tonight's programme? Content: Victoria Derbyshire presents tonight's programme You'll be able to watch tonight's programme live as Victoria Derbyshire is joined by five survivors in the studio from 22:30 - we'll share some background on their stories before the programme begins. We'll also hear from England and Wales' most senior police officer on grooming, Deputy Chief Constable Becky Riggs, on how authorities are responding. Before we begin, a reminder that some of the details we'll be sharing tonight will be distressing to hear. Update: Date: 21:45 BST Title: Survivors of grooming to speak to BBC Newsnight Content: Victoria DerbyshireNewsnight presenter Tonight, live, in a specially-extended programme, we have brought together survivors of gangs and individuals who groomed and raped women when they were young girls and teenagers. Their abusers were mostly British Asian men and they operated in plain sight in towns and cities like Rotherham, Telford, Bradford, High Wycombe and Manchester, over a decade and half through the late '90s and 2000s. It's an epidemic that has wrecked the lives of thousands of victims – these women included. They are here tonight to tell you about what happened to them, and because they say that some of the men who abused and raped them, and some of those in authority who totally failed to protect them, have still not been held accountable - and they want that to change. Expected in the next week or so is a government-commissioned "rapid" national audit of grooming gangs, led by Baroness Louise Casey. The government has promised it will uncover the "true scale of grooming gangs in the UK, including looking at ethnicity". As you'd expect, our conversation is going to be frank, open and it will involve details of sexual abuse. We're incredibly grateful to the incredible women for speaking to us tonight - Jade, Chantelle, Fiona, Kate and Zara. You'll be able to watch the programme live on the page from 22:30.
