LONDON: Britain’s criminal prosecution body said on Sunday it had twice received evidence against the now-disgraced ex-Harrods boss Mohamed Al-Fayed, accused by multiple women of sexual assault and rape, but had not brought charges.

Numerous women previously employed at the high-class London department store accused Fayed of sexual assault in a BBC documentary released on Thursday, including five alleging rape.

Thirty-seven women are being represented by a legal team bringing claims against Harrods, accusing it of enabling the “systematic” abuse of young women and girls over 25 years. Lawyers said they had received over 150 new enquiries since the BBC investigation.

A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokesperson on Sunday referred to two prior instances when the Egyptian billionaire, who died last year, was accused of sexual offences. “We reviewed files of evidence presented by the police in 2009 and 2015”, said the spokesperson, who asked not to be named.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2024