Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, who died last year at the age of 94 and is notably the former owner of London football club Fulham, is accused of rape and sexual assault by around forty women. At a press conference on Friday, the victims’ lawyers denounced ” A quarter century of sexual assault » and a « system ” of predation comparable to that of the Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein cases in the United States.
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At least 37 women have accused Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, the former owner of London football club Fulham, the luxury department store Harrods and the Ritz Hotel, who died last year at the age of 94, of rape and sexual assault. Five of them say they were raped by Al-Fayed, the father of Princess Diana’s last companion, Dodi Al-Fayed, who died with her in a car accident on August 31, 1997 in Paris.
At a press conference on Friday, the victims’ lawyers denounced ” A quarter century of sexual assault » and a « system ” of predation in a case comparable to those of Americans Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. The accusers are for the most part former employees of Harrods and some of the Ritz in Paris.
Lawyers for the women accusing Mohamed Al-Fayed of rape and sexual assault also said on Saturday that they had received ” more than 150 new requests » information from the part « of survivors and people with evidence regarding Al-Fayed “, especially since the broadcast on Thursday evening by the BBC of an investigation entitled ” Al-Fayed : a predator at Harrods “The Harrods website has also made available a form that victims can fill out. If you wish to make a claim for compensation, Harrods has an established procedure with the assistance of specialist external lawyers “, specifies the luxury store’s website.
” We protected the players »
A former official at London football club Fulham said on Saturday that measures had been taken to protect the players from Mohamed Al-Fayed, who owned the club between 1997 and 2013. I read all the papers yesterday and to be honest it’s not a huge surprise. “, explained to the BBC Gaute Haugenes, one of the former managers of the Fulham women’s team between 2001 and 2003. We knew he liked blonde girls. So we made sure that these situations didn’t happen. We protected the players. ” he added.
Fulham club said: deeply troubled and worried ” after the accusations against his former owner. ” We have sincere empathy for the women who have shared their experiences. ” said a spokesperson, explaining that the club was ” investigating whether anyone within the club was affected ” by the facts denounced.