At least five women who reported sexual abuse by the late billionaire and former Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed have been confirmed as victims of human trafficking, the Home Office announced. The survivors' experiences include both international and domestic trafficking, and one instance of trafficking that occurred within the Harrods building itself.
More than 400 allegations of sexual misconduct have been made against Al-Fayed, spanning from 1977 to 2014. The survivors, who say the identification as victims of modern slavery suggests a "wider network of perpetrators," have received conclusive grounds decisions from the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the UK's official framework for identifying victims of modern slavery.
Advocacy group "No One Above," formed by Al-Fayed survivors, has seen four of its members, using pseudonyms Justine, Elizabeth, Margo, and Isabella, receive positive conclusive grounds decisions. The charity Unseen UK referred these cases to the NRM.
Justine, who worked at Harrods for over three years in the 1990s, described receiving her decision in June as a "shell-shocked" yet significant confirmation that she had been a victim of modern slavery and trafficking. She stated that these decisions demonstrate that the abuse was not solely the actions of "one bad man," as Harrods has reportedly maintained, and that the scope of experiences is broad, encompassing domestic and international trafficking, as well as cases unrelated to Harrods employment.
Elizabeth, another former Harrods employee, received her conclusive grounds decision in May. She asserted that all survivors in the Al-Fayed case are victims of human trafficking, as they were part of a single system that recruited, exploited, and silenced victims. She noted a persistent misunderstanding, even within law enforcement, that trafficking is solely about international border crossings, when in fact, positive decisions have been made for cases occurring within the Harrods premises.
Margo, who worked as a domestic worker for the Fayed family after the sale of Harrods and was recruited via a letting agency called Hyde Park Residence, received her human trafficking victim decision in July. She indicated that Al-Fayed's trafficking network extended beyond Harrods to locations including Balnagown, Saint-Tropez, Fayair, Fulham Football Club, and Hyde Park Residence. Margo also suggested that the strong emphasis on Harrods has deterred other victims, who may not have worked at the department store, from coming forward.
Isabella, who worked in Al-Fayed's chairman's office at Harrods in 2001, received her trafficking victim decision in May. She highlighted that Al-Fayed could not have committed his abuses without entities like Harrods processing women for him and silencing them afterward. She further stated that the network included Al-Fayed's yachts, aviation business, the Ritz Paris, and properties across France, Monaco, the United States, and the UAE.
The Metropolitan Police are investigating at least 156 alleged victims of Al-Fayed, with 21 having come forward before his death in 2023. The investigation, known as Operation Cornpoppy, is examining individuals who may have facilitated or enabled Al-Fayed's crimes. Four people have been questioned since the investigation opened 19 months ago.