Mohamed Al Fayed accused of rape by female ex-Harrods staff

The barristers representing some of the women we spoke to – Bruce Drummond and Dean Armstrong KC – argue the store was responsible for an unsafe system of work.

“Any place of work has a duty to ensure the safety of its employees. Without question, the company failed these ladies,” says Mr Drummond.

“That’s why we step in. Because they just did nothing to actually prevent this. They did the opposite. They enabled it.”

Mr Armstrong adds: “We say there have been clearly attempts by the senior people at Harrods to sweep this under the carpet.”

Many more women are now considering legal action against Harrods.

Barrister Maria Mulla – who is also on the legal team representing some of the women – says clients are coming forward now, because previously they have been “absolutely petrified” to speak out.

“They want to be part of this movement of holding people accountable for what has happened to them, and trying to make sure these things don’t happen again in the future for their own children and for their children.”

Harrods told the BBC: “Since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible. This process is still available for any current or former Harrods employees.

“While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organisation, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behaviour can never be repeated in the future.”

The Ritz hotel in Paris said it “strongly condemns all forms of behaviour that do not align with the values of the establishment”.

When Fayed died, unconfirmed reports estimated his worth in excess of £1bn. But money is not the motivation for the women to speak out, they say.

“I’ve spent so many years being quiet and silent, not speaking up,” says Gemma, “and I hope talking about it now helps. We can all start feeling better and healing from it.”