LONDON (AP) – Britain's police watchdog says it is investigating complaints from two women about the Metropolitan Police's handling of sex crime allegations against late Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
Police are investigating multiple allegations of rape or sexual assault against the billionaire owner of a famous London department store. Al Fayed was never charged and died last year at the age of 94.
The Metropolitan Police issued a statement late Friday after two women came forward in recent weeks to express concerns about how officers handled their complaints when they were first reported in 2008 and 2013. It said the incident had been reported to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
Stephen Clayman, from the force's crime team, said: “While we cannot change the past, we remain steadfast in our aim to provide the highest standards of service and support to everyone who contacts us.”
The police watchdog said it would evaluate the information provided before deciding whether further action was needed.
Allegations against Al Fayed have grown since the BBC aired claims by several former Harrods employees in September.
Police and Harrods bosses are facing questions about why no action was taken while Mr Al-Fayed was still alive. He was investigated by detectives in 2008 on suspicion of sexually abusing a 15-year-old, and police submitted files of evidence against him to prosecutors in 2009 and 2015. He was never charged.
Mr Kleiman said police were “actively reviewing” the 21 sexual offense allegations that had been lodged with them before Mr Al-Fayed's death to determine whether further investigation was possible.
In addition to these allegations, the force announced last month that 40 more women had come forward with allegations of rape or sexual assault against the tycoon since September.
The Egyptian-born businessman moved to Britain in the 1960s and bought Harrods in the mid-1980s. Al Fayed sold Harrods to a Qatari state-owned company in 2010 through the Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund.
Harrods' current managing director, Michael Ward, has apologized to former employees who said they were sexually assaulted by Al-Fayed. Ward said it was clear that Al Fayed “presided over a toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussions and sexual misconduct.”
