Mohamed Al Fayed's brother 'unequivocally' denies sexual assault allegations by three former Harrods employees

7 February 2025, 14:45 | Updated: 7 February 2025, 14:50

Mohamed Al Fayed's brother has “unequivocally” denied sexual assault allegations brought forward by three former Harrods employees.

Ali Fayed, the 82-year-old surviving brother of Mohammed Al Fayed, is accused of assaulting the women in the 1990s.

The Egyptian businessmen ran the high-end department store with along with a third brother, Salah, at the time.

The alleged sexual assaults are claimed to have taken place in London, Scotland, Switzerland and the United States.

Ali Fayed's spokesperson said he "unequivocally denies any and all allegations of wrongdoing".

The spokesperson continued: "The alleged incidents simply never occurred. Mr Fayed is not a perpetrator and will not be scapegoated.

"He will robustly defend himself against these unsubstantiated claims and will not allow false accusations to go unchallenged."

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One victim, a former interior designer for Harrods, told the BBC the abuse started in Ali Fayed's office, with the boss "trying to kiss" her, followed by him "groping" and "molesting" her.

Another incident allegedly took place while she was staying with Ali Fayed and his family at their former residence in Connecticut during a work trip, the BBC reports.

The woman, identified by the BBC as Frances, remarked how "his hands were everywhere".  She claimed he stopped because "one of his little boys started calling for him".

Frances added: "This is my chance to finally stand up for myself. I'm not going to be that scared 24-year-old who doesn't know what to do."

A second woman, identified as Amy, said Ali Fayed "groped" her on a trip to a swimming pool in Switzerland.

"He pulled me in under the water, and groped and fondled me, making me feel very, very uncomfortable - very much trapped,” she said.

Amy added: "I was terrified thinking how am I going to get out of this."

A third victim, who the BBC identified as Laura, said she was “numbed with fear” in an alleged sexual assault carried out by Ali Fayed.

All victims say they had also been sexually abused by Mohammed Al Fayed.

Mohammed Al Fayed died in 2023 at the age of 94.Police have previously said more than 100 women have made allegations against the deceased Egyptian businessman.

The Met is currently reviewing a total of 21 allegations that were made before his death.

It referred two of these to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in November.

The Justice for Harrods Survivors group, which represents a number of Al Fayed’s victims, said: "It was clear from the very first days of our work on this case that other individuals beyond Mohamed Al Fayed were alleged to have been involved in the abuse of women and the concealment of their experiences.

"We applaud the bravery of the women who have spoken out on their allegations against Ali Fayed and reiterate our commitment to securing justice and accountability for all survivors.

"We repeat, no stone will be left unturned in pursuit of this aim."

Harrods has been contacted for comment.