Outrage over unpunished violence: Hundreds accuse late Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed of sexual abuse, threats and espionage

LONDON, November 3 — Jen and Chesca are among hundreds of women who have accused late Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed of sexual assault and told AFP of their “huge anger” that his alleged campaign of abuse and humiliation went unpunished .

“It seemed like a dream job,” said Jen, who was 16 when she took the job at a London department store that was considered the height of glamor.

But prestige had its price. Lawyers said on Friday that more than 400 women and witnesses linked to Harrods, Fulham Football Club, the Paris Ritz Hotel and Fayed’s other businesses had come forward in the past six weeks that he had raped or assaulted them.

Jen worked at the London store from 1986, a year after the billionaire bought it, until 1991.

Chesca Hill-Wood was 19 years old in 1994 when she began working for the former tycoon, who died last year aged 94.

They explained that Fayed had been there since the interview.

Cheska, who was an art student, believes Fayed’s team spotted her picture in a magazine before Harrods contacted her.

“I think my face met his requirements. I was young and very naive,” she said.

After being hired, Jen and Cheska were given a gynecological examination by a Harrods doctor.

“The doctor made no secret of the fact that they were testing me to make sure I was clean,” said Jen, now 54.

“And when I asked him what that meant, he said he needed to know that I was a virgin.”

‘Frightened’

Fayed demanded that she never have a boyfriend.

“We were not allowed to have sexual relations with anyone,” she explained.

Jen said that during her five years at Harrods she suffered “several sexual assaults” and attempted rape at Fayed’s office and at his London residence on Park Lane.

Harrods said it had been contacted by more than 250 people wanting to negotiate an out-of-court settlement. London police say they have been contacted by 60 people, with allegations dating back to 1979.

Jen said she was “ashamed” and “too scared” to tell colleagues or her family about the attacks that happened at the time.

Like many other accusers, she talked about wiretaps and cameras in offices.

While she was having a secret romantic relationship, Fayed called her in and gave her a list of places where the couple had been seen together, confirming her fears that she was being followed.

“It made me realize that this wasn’t paranoia, this was actually happening.”

“I hoped I was the only one,” Jen said, adding that she was “horrified” by the number of people who came forward with accusations against Fayed.

The catalyst was the screening of the BBC documentary Al-Fayed: The Predator at Harrods in September.

Following the broadcast, Harrods, which came under the control of Qatari interests in 2010, “condemned” the behavior of its former owner and apologized for abandoning the “victims”.

Jen, who asked that her last name not be used, waited until the day after the documentary aired to tell her husband and parents about her experience at Harrods.

“Absolute Monster”

Chesca Hill-Wood immediately told her mother about her attack.

She was an aspiring actress, and Fayed offered to introduce her to his son Dodi, a producer.

One evening after work, Fayed took her to his room and arranged an audition for a Peter Pan film.

In front of the camera, she was forced to wear a swimsuit and recite the lines of the script, “take me, take me, please.”

The then-60-year-old man grabbed her and kissed her forcefully, Chesky said.

She managed to escape and was never seen in the office or Harrods again.

Soon after, both women addressed the media. Jen told her story to Vanity Fair magazine in the 1990s on condition of anonymity, but was contacted by a Harrods security officer who threatened her and her family.

Fayed sued the magazine for libel and the settlement was reached “out of respect for the grieving father” after his son Dodi died along with Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

In the 1990s, Ceska advocated for a documentary that was never broadcast.

In 2017, she performed bare-faced again for the British television channel Channel Four.

“But nothing happened after that. The police did not pursue Fayed,” she said, adding that the ordeal had left her desperate.

Both spoke of their “anger” following his death last year.

“This absolute monster went to earth without facing criminal prosecution. The anger is enormous,” said Ceska, now 50.

She now hopes that “a lot of the people who do his dirty work,” such as making doctor’s appointments and recruiting women, will be brought to justice. —AFP