A former Harrods employee has come forward with harrowing allegations of being trafficked, drugged, and subjected to an attempted rape by Mohamed Al Fayed, the former owner of the luxury department store.
Lindsay, one of around 200 women who have accused Al Fayed of sexual abuse, shared her ordeal during an interview on BBC Breakfast.
Lindsay, a former secretary at Harrods, described how Al Fayed regularly sexually harassed and groped female staff during their time working for him.
She revealed that during a work trip to Paris, Al Fayed drugged her and attempted to rape her.
“He always tried to isolate me,” Lindsay said. She recounted being told she was going on a business trip to Paris, which she later realised was a pretext for trafficking her.
Lindsay described a dinner at the Ritz in Paris with Al Fayed, a colleague, and three celebrities. Afterwards, she and her colleague were unexpectedly taken to Dodi Al Fayed’s apartment, where the doors were locked behind them.
“I assumed it would be The Ritz hotel because he owned it, but we were taken to Dodi’s flat, and all the doors were locked,” Lindsay explained.
The locked doors, she added, were said to be for their safety, but she believed they were to prevent them from escaping. “It was the most terrifying night of my life,” she said.
Lindsay further revealed that she had no memory of her return trip from Paris and suffered significant injuries, leading her to believe she had been drugged.
“Harrods will never leave me. The memories I have from those tragic episodes are inside me,” she said, adding that Harrods should be held accountable. Lindsay also recounted being subjected to an invasive medical procedure to secure her secretarial job at Harrods, questioning the store’s role in enabling the abuse.
These claims come after more than 20 women previously accused Al Fayed of abuse, with another 200 women coming forward following his death in 2023.
Dean Armstrong KC, a lawyer representing many of the victims, said last week that his team had been contacted by “probably up to 200” individuals with similar accounts of abuse at the hands of Al Fayed.
Armstrong alleged that Harrods had a system in place to facilitate Al Fayed’s abuse, with the lawyer also representing women employed by Al Fayed at the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
Armstrong’s investigation looks into all entities Al Fayed was involved in, including Fulham Football Club, which he owned between 1997 and 2013.
Fulham FC released a statement expressing concern over the allegations: “We are afflicted and concerned to learn of the disturbing reports following the documentary.
We have sincere empathy for the women who have shared their experiences.” The club also indicated that it is investigating whether anyone at Fulham was affected by Al Fayed’s alleged actions.
Harrods has also responded to the allegations, with sources stating that the company has accepted “vicarious liability” for Al Fayed’s conduct.
The store reportedly reached settlements with several victims after his death. In a previous statement, Harrods said it was “utterly appalled” by the accusations and has since created a webpage encouraging former employees to come forward with any further allegations.
Comparing the case to other notorious scandals, Armstrong said, “This case combines some of the most horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein, and Harvey Weinstein.”
He cited similarities with Savile’s case due to institutional knowledge of the abuse, Epstein’s case for the organised procurement of women and girls, and Weinstein’s case for the abuse of power by an individual at the top of an organisation.
Armstrong did not mince words, stating, “Mohamed Al Fayed was a monster.”
The case has drawn widespread attention, with many now calling for further investigations into Al Fayed’s businesses and the systems that may have enabled such widespread abuse over several decades.
