A man in his 60s has been questioned by Metropolitan Police officers investigating whether individuals helped facilitate or conceal the sexual offending of former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed, bringing the total number of people interviewed under caution to four.
The man was questioned on suspicion of aiding and abetting rape and sexual assault, as well as human trafficking for sexual exploitation. His interview follows that of three women — aged in their 40s, 50s and 60s — who were questioned on suspicion of the same offences earlier this month. The Met confirmed no arrests have been made and that the investigation remains ongoing.
A total of 154 victims have now come forward to report allegations against Al Fayed, including sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The scope of the inquiry has been expanded in recent months to encompass trafficking offences, a development that lawyers representing survivors had previously called for, urging police to treat the case as one involving trafficking from the outset.
Commander Angela Craggs said the force was “determined to bring anyone who is suspected to have played a part in his offending to justice,” describing the investigation as “complex and far-reaching.”
Al Fayed, who owned Harrods between 1985 and 2010 as well as the Ritz Paris hotel and Fulham FC, died in 2023 at the age of 94. The full extent of his alleged behaviour became widely known following a BBC documentary and podcast broadcast in September 2024, in which more than 20 former female Harrods employees described being sexually assaulted or raped by him.
Despite the widening of the police investigation, a number of survivors have expressed frustration at the pace and scope of the response. Around 30 victims attended a virtual session with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Survivors of Fayed and Harrods, where they met with Jess Phillips, the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls. Campaign group Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors said it was seeking accountability not only from those who directly carried out abuse but from those who “either enabled our abuse or looked the other way as it happened.”
The Home Office said operational decisions remained a matter for police, but confirmed that the minister had committed to ensuring agencies worked effectively together and that systemic concerns raised by survivors would be considered.
A meeting between survivors and the Prime Minister is expected to take place within the coming weeks.
