A group of 50 survivors of alleged sexual abuse by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed is calling for “meaningful consequences” for those they claim facilitated and ignored the abuse. The Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors group says there are “dozens of individuals who must be held to account” from various eras.
Campaigner Jen Mills, who started working for Al Fayed at Harrods aged 16, said: “If they think the money is the important factor they are so far off the mark.” The group wants Harrods to release findings of an internal investigation into what staff knew, and calls for greater regulation of HR professionals and an explanation for why police and medical regulators did not investigate complaints at the time.
Supported by actor Richard Gere, former victims commissioner Dame Vera Baird, and women’s rights advocates Gloria Allred and Gina Martin, the group will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. They want an MP-led committee to investigate why many involved have not been prosecuted. Al Fayed died in 2023 aged 94.
A Harrods spokesperson said: “We recognise differing views, however Harrods has always stated that the scheme represents only one form of redress available to survivors.” More than 220 people engaged with the redress scheme, with payments made to 70 individuals and further claims being processed. Some survivors did not participate, citing ongoing employment of staff from Al Fayed’s era.
Fellow campaigner Lindsay Mason, who was recruited off the street aged 20, said: “Young people in a corporate environment are fresh meat and we were just thrown to the wolves.” Mills added: “We felt at the time we had nowhere to go. We want there to be reform so that companies can’t hide behind this kind of power and wealth any more.”
