Metropolitan Police apologises for exposing details of 143 of Al Fayed's alleged victims
The Met has apologised, saying the incident was down to "human error"
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed they inadvertently shared the email addresses of 143 individuals who have alleged they were sexually assaulted by the late Mohamed Al Fayed.
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Scotland Yard confirmed that it accidentally copied in all those who had signed up for monthly updates for victims, instead of blind copying them in - meaning their email addresses were visible to everyone on the distribution list.
Many of the victims wish to maintain their anonymity.
The breach took place over five separate emails on Tuesday, August 11.
Following the incident, the Met has referred itself to the Information Commissioner's Office, and is considering providing further support and safeguards for the victims.
The email update revealed to recipients that a further three suspects in their 70s and 80s had been interviewed under caution in relation to the investigation.
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A Met Police spokesman said: "On Tuesday, 11 August, officers issued a monthly update to victims regarding progress in our investigation into those who may have facilitated Mohamed Al Fayed’s offending.
"The update was to confirm a further three suspects, one aged in their 70s and two in their 80s, have recently been interviewed under caution, bringing the total number interviewed under caution as part of the investigation to seven. Inquiries remain ongoing.
"Due to human error, recipients' email addresses were visible to others on the distribution list. The issue was identified quickly and immediate action was taken.
"We understand the impact this may have on victims and sincerely apologise. Everyone affected was contacted directly on the day of the incident.
"The incident is being investigated as a matter of priority, and we are reviewing our processes to help prevent a similar breach from happening again."
According to The Times, there were a total of 143 victims on the list of 159 recipients.
The recent incident follows a similar mistake made earlier this year, when the Met sent the personal details of a woman who claims Al Fayed trafficked her, and she was raped by his associate, to another alleged victim.
Al Fayed, the former Harrods boss, died in August 2023 aged 94.
He is accused of abusing around 400 women and girls between the late 1970s and the early 2000s, many of whom were working at his businesses.
Although some of them say they reported their concerns to police, many say they were not taken seriously - with it later being revealed that the Met were aware of the allegations at least a decade earlier than claimed.