Al Fayed survivors frustrated at 'sceptism' about trafficking inquiry
A group of victims of former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed say the government has offered them "no route for justice", as they repeated calls for their cases to be investigated as human trafficking.
Multiple women have accused Al Fayed of rape and sexual assault, which they say spanned decades and involved a network of perpetrators.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's World at One, one survivor, "Isabella", said a "huge amount of scepticism" had been expressed about the effectiveness of a public inquiry or usefulness of investigating trafficking, during a virtual meeting on Tuesday.
The Metropolitan Police says it has its broadened the inquiry to cover all offences, including human trafficking.
But some survivors do not believe the Met or government have gone far enough in investigating what they describe as "Britain's own Epstein scandal".
Around 30 survivors attended a virtual meeting with the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Survivors of Fayed and Harrods, during which they spoke with Jess Phillips, the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls.
"What was communicated was a huge amount of scepticism about the effectiveness of a public inquiry and the usefulness of a trafficking investigation where the conviction rate is very low," Isabella, whose identity is being kept anonymous, told the BBC.
Earlier this month, the Met announced that three women had been interviewed under caution over offences including human trafficking and facilitating rape.
The force said the women aged in their 40s, 50s and 60s were interviewed between 25 February and 5 March.
It added that 154 victims had come forward and reported allegations of sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Al Fayed owned Harrods between 1985 to 2010 and died in 2023 aged 94.
The extent of the businessman's predatory behaviour was revealed in a BBC documentary and podcast, broadcast in September 2024.
Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods heard testimony from more than 20 female ex-Harrods employees who said Al Fayed sexually assaulted or raped them.
Dave Robertson MP and Wendy Chamberlain MP, who co-chair the APPG, said that "Fayed survivors have been ignored and failed for far too long. Their concerns must be heard and acted upon."
They added that the parliamentary group will be working to support the "survivors' campaign for justice, building a drumbeat of evidence for a public inquiry into the full extent of Al Fayed's crimes and his network of enablers."
Campaign group Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors said that they hoped to bring "accountability for Harrods Fayed businesses and, most importantly, the dozens upon dozens of people who either enabled our abuse or looked the other way as it happened. "
Another meeting with the prime minister is expected in the next few weeks.
In a statement, the Home Office said: "Operational decisions about investigations are matters for the police, but the minister [Jess Phillips] has committed to ensuring that the Home Office supports agencies to work effectively together, and that any systemic issues raised by survivors are given consideration."
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