Mohammed Al Fayed

[Petcha]

One of my childhood friend's sister was an assistant to him in the late 90s. From a small town so was quite a big deal having a job like that... i heard from my friend at the time that he liked to grab her breasts and bum. We were all young and stupid so thought it was kind of funny, although I guess not for my friend's sister, in hindsight. I hope it never went as far for her as it sounds like it did for these other women.

Filthy fuck.

 

[Aladdin]

Watched the lawyers for the women speaking on the news today.
The lead lawyer stated Al Fayed was also a child molester / abuser.
It was also clear that the police had been informed in the past about Al Fayed. So those women and children who did go to the police for help were left floundering.
And not only Al Fayed involved but a Web of abusers.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

Fucks sake. I truly hope that things are better for working women nowadays. When I was younger, it was an occupational hazard to be groped, assaulted and harassed by male bosses. If you complained, you'd be labelled a troublemaker.

 

[Sue]

This is beyond appalling.

GMC urged to investigate doctors over Harrods sexual health test claims

Women who accuse Mohamed Al Fayed of sexual assault say their examination results were shared with company

www.theguardian.com

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

This is beyond appalling.

GMC urged to investigate doctors over Harrods sexual health test claims

Women who accuse Mohamed Al Fayed of sexual assault say their examination results were shared with company

www.theguardian.com

That's absolutely disgusting.

 

[mentalchik]

Fucks sake. I truly hope that things are better for working women nowadays. When I was younger, it was an occupational hazard to be groped, assaulted and harassed by male bosses. If you complained, you'd be labelled a troublemaker.

I fucking hope so...my mum once told me about the stuff back in the 50's-60's when she was young and at work, she said you just had to accept it was how things were and had to accept it.

 

[skyscraper101]

He always seemed like a wrongun to me. From that tasteless Dodi and Diana memorial at Harrods to hanging around with whacko and the awful statue of him outside craven cottage. Yeah, definitely something mega weird going on there.

 

[Bus Honeygun]

His barely disguised racism and antisemitism seems trifling in comparison. Really depressing that he obviously held so much power that we've had to wait until he died to expose the grim details.

 

[Plumdaff]

I worked for Royal Doulton at their Selfridges concession in the 90s when I was a student and it was widely known that a/ you had to look like a model to get through the Harrods 'screening' and b/ you were better off not getting through the Harrods 'screening'. Mostly talk of grim working conditions but now I realise there was much more to it.

 

[Petcha]

He does seem to have had a 'type'. My friend's sister was probably 17/18, blonde, pretty, etc etc. Seeing all the women on BBC Breakfast this morning... It seems he was actually possibly worse than Weistein.

 

[LakieLady]

I fucking hope so...my mum once told me about the stuff back in the 50's-60's when she was young and at work, she said you just had to accept it was how things were and had to accept it.

I doubt if it was much better when I started work in the 70s. I think attitudes started to change in the 80s, but one local authority I worked for didn't have a sexual harassment process or policy until 1992.

There was a vile sexist, lechy bloke on the team I worked in, and I took great delight, 2 days after it was approved, in telling him that he would be the first person reported under the new policy if he didn't change his ways.

When I started there in '91, I was the only woman on the team, and my colleagues had to be told to take their Page 3 girls calendar down before I started.

 

[Petcha]

Fucking bonkers that he had his own personal doctor check out new 'recruits' for STDs and probably virginal status upon their hiring... jesus.

 

[Everything Goes]

The Met Police were unsurprisingly in his pocket. No wonder things were covered up for decades.

Close relationship between Mohamed al Fayed and police 'felt corrupt', says former detective

The Metropolitan Police would "provide additional resources at Christmas" and in return "hampers were provided" and police "Christmas parties had lots of drinks paid for", former chief superintendent Stephen Otter told Sky News.

news.sky.com

‘He knew what Mohamed was doing’: Fayed security chief accused of facilitating abuse

Multiple women say John Macnamara – the ex-detective whose job was to shut down allegations about Fayed – sought to break their will to speak out

www.theguardian.com

 

[Lotte]

Fucks sake. I truly hope that things are better for working women nowadays. When I was younger, it was an occupational hazard to be groped, assaulted and harassed by male bosses. If you complained, you'd be labelled a troublemaker.

My mum is in her late 60s and worked for the Telegraph in the 70s, and there was a lot of sexual harassment there and women were just expected to put up with it. And it's depressing how many older women internalised that crap and think women who complain about sexual harassment are joyless snowflakes who don't get banter, or something.

 

[smokedout]

One of my childhood friend's sister was an assistant to him in the late 90s. From a small town so was quite a big deal having a job like that... i heard from my friend at the time that he liked to grab her breasts and bum. We were all young and stupid so thought it was kind of funny, although I guess not for my friend's sister, in hindsight. I hope it never went as far for her as it sounds like it did for these other women.

Filthy fuck.

I squatted with someone in the 90s who worked at Harrods for a while and said the same thing and that everyone in retail knew about it. It's just like Savile and all the rest of them, everyone knew, half of London fucking knew, but no-one who was in a position to do anything about it did anything at all to try and stop it

 

[mentalchik]

My mum is in her late 60s and worked for the Telegraph in the 70s, and there was a lot of sexual harassment there and women were just expected to put up with it. And it's depressing how many older women internalised that crap and think women who complain about sexual harassment are joyless snowflakes who don't get banter, or something.

I used to have this argument a lot with my mum, she just couldn't get her head around why women were complaining about it.....very sad

 

[BristolEcho]

My mum is in her late 60s and worked for the Telegraph in the 70s, and there was a lot of sexual harassment there and women were just expected to put up with it. And it's depressing how many older women internalised that crap and think women who complain about sexual harassment are joyless snowflakes who don't get banter, or something.

Partners Gran is in her 80's and when the Me Too stuff was coming out she was pretty outraged and said something along the lines of it was "fair game" to get groped whilst being a Nurse. Absolutely not her fault that she felt that of course it was just eye opening in how ingrained it was. Not gone away totally either now.

 

[Boo Radley75]

Much respect to Al Fayed's son for taking the allegations seriously. So often in these cases, close relatives just cannot accept what went on so refuse to believe it. His son has acknowledged that it's hard for him to take in as it doesn't sound like the dad he personally knew but accepts that the evidence says otherwise.

 

[CH1]

Dynamic pricing from Amazon here.
This book was £60 yesterday now its £45.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Story-Kleinwort-Benson-Mohamed-Fayed/dp/B0015P8LC8

Nothing about Fayed the sex pest or rapist in here - but a lot about Kleinwort Benson making up a completely fictitious family history for a man born in an Alexandrian council flat.
He never should have been allowed near the House of Fraser/Harrods - but buying Norman Tebbit an electric wheelchair for his wife proved to be a smart move as regards Monopolies and Mergers clearance.

 

[Favelado]

Surely there's going to be a massive section in the next Private Eye on this.

 

[LakieLady]

Partners Gran is in her 80's and when the Me Too stuff was coming out she was pretty outraged and said something along the lines of it was "fair game" to get groped whilst being a Nurse. Absolutely not her fault that she felt that of course it was just eye opening in how ingrained it was. Not gone away totally either now.

My mother in law (86) doesn't get what all the furore is about, either. "We didn't make a fuss about the slightest little thing in my day".

Yes, sexual assault and harassment are just so fucking trivial...

 

[SpookyFrank]

Headline I saw on one of yesterday's papers: how did he escape justice?

How did the billionaire with connections to British royalty avoid justice? Real fucking head scratcher ain't it?

 

[bemused]

He seems to be a massive creep, who are they suing?

 

[Aladdin]

Headline I saw on one of yesterday's papers: how did he escape justice?

How did the billionaire with connections to British royalty avoid justice? Real fucking head scratcher ain't it?

The police did absolutely nothing to help any victim who went to them.
Almost like the ultra rich could control the police.

 

[Lotte]

My mother in law (86) doesn't get what all the furore is about, either. "We didn't make a fuss about the slightest little thing in my day".

Yes, sexual assault and harassment are just so fucking trivial...

And child abuse. The 'don't make a fuss' culture was why so many paedophiles and rapists got away with it, because nobody would listen to the victims. Especially if they were kids.

 

[tim]

Headline I saw on one of yesterday's papers: how did he escape justice?

How did the billionaire with connections to British royalty avoid justice? Real fucking head scratcher ain't it?

I think you'll find that, for the last quarter century of his life at least, Fayad's relationship with the Royal Family was somewhat less than cordial.

 

[tim]

Much respect to Al Fayed's son for taking the allegations seriously. So often in these cases, close relatives just cannot accept what went on so refuse to believe it. His son has acknowledged that it's hard for him to take in as it doesn't sound like the dad he personally knew but accepts that the evidence says otherwise.

I knew, half of London knew, so it's clearly not credible that his son didn't know. I find it more credible that he didn't particularly like his dad and is desperate to keep hold of as much of the business and wealth he inherited .

 

[SpookyFrank]

I think you'll find that, for the last quarter century of his life at least, Fayad's relationship with the Royal Family was somewhat less than cordial.

Maybe, but there were still the reputations of Brenda and Saint Diana to protect. So a vested interest in Fayed not getting found out.

I don't mean to go all conspiraloon on this. Most likely the royals had nothing to do with either protecting Fayed or throwing him under the bus after his death. But the fact remains, he escaped justice because he's one of them. The royals, as figureheads for the very idea wealth, also by definition stand for letting the wealthy get away with murder. That is where their wealth came from after all.

 

[cesare]

The latest issue of Private Eye contains a reprint of Al Fayed feature from issue 951 29 May 1998 which contains a synopsis of every allegation on this thread including the medical examinations.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

My mother in law (86) doesn't get what all the furore is about, either. "We didn't make a fuss about the slightest little thing in my day".

Yes, sexual assault and harassment are just so fucking trivial...

The so-called Silent Generation.

Least said soonest mended. Don't make a fuss. Don't draw attention to yourself.

Toxic.