London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The Metropolitan Police’s handling of accusations against Mohamed Al Fayed is under scrutiny, with concerns about missed opportunities to conduct a proper inquiry.
The Metropolitan Police is examining 21 claims made against the late former Harrods chief, who died in 2023. Two cases were forwarded to the IOPC in November 2023.
Two allegations from victim-survivors expressing worries over the force’s response to their claims against Al Fayed will be reviewed by the Met under the supervision of the independent police monitoring agency.
As reported by The Independent, the victim-survivors first brought the allegations of sexual assault to the Metropolitan Police in 2008.
The IOPC said on Wednesday that the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards will examine the objections, with guidance provided by the regulatory body.
Steve Noonan, the IOPC director of operations, stated, “There is widespread public concern around this case, with a significant number of allegations reported over many years while Mr al Fayed was still alive.”
He added, “It’s important that an investigation is carried out into these complaints to identify if there were any missed opportunities or failures by officers to properly investigate these reports made back in 2008.”
The IOPC also expressed concerns about the investigation, stating that it could expand to include more than the two existing complaints.
The allegations against Al Fayed are of extensive abuse of female staff during his ownership of the department store.
It has been reported that over 100 individuals have come forward to police, claiming sexual assault by the business tycoon.
Multiple allegations were brought against Al-Fayed during his lifetime, but no legal action was taken before he died in 2023.
A lawyer told Sky News last November that around 290 females had applied to the Harrods compensation scheme, alleging sexual abuse by the Harrods department store owner.
Dame Jasvinder Sanghera spoke with UK Tonight’s Sarah-Jane Mee, “There are 290 women currently in the Harrods process.”
She added,
“There’ll be many women sitting on their reporting for a number of reasons. It takes a lot of courage. I’m sure there’s more out there.”
The Crown Prosecution Service received files from investigators for charging decisions twice, once in 2008 involving three victims and the second in 2015 for one more victim.
In 2018, 2021, and 2023, the CPS was asked for initial investigative suggestions, but the police decided not to move forward with the cases.
The Met Police disclosed last November that they were investigating five other people who could have been involved in facilitating the ex-Harrods president in the alleged abuse of numerous women and girls.
Officials are observing individuals close to the business tycoon who may have assisted him in crimes from 1977 to 2014.
Mr. Noonan stated,
“Our sympathies are with all the victim-survivors who reported allegations against Mr Al Fayed.”
He added complainants will be regularly updated during the inquiry.
The police officials are also dealing with allegations of corruption, as the Guardian reported in November 2024 that the force is accused of accepting bribes to help target employees and escape from abuse claims.
London reported 24,334 sexual cases in the year ending March 2024, revealing a slight decline from 24,958 the year before.
According to a report, about 2 million women in Britain experience violence related to women and girls (VAWG) every year, with many cases involving domestic abuse. The report also revealed that one in twelve women will experience gender-based violence annually.