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Reuters
A group of women who say they were sexually assaulted by the former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed have called for their cases to be investigated as human trafficking.
The Metropolitan Police is investigating more than five people who may have facilitated Al Fayed in his alleged sexual abuse of hundreds of women and girls.
Multiple women have accused Al Fayed, who owned the luxury store between 1985 to 2010, of rape and sexual assault. He died in 2023 aged 94.
But the advocacy group No One Above says "multiple perpetrators" and facilitators were involved, and they believe the Met's inquiry will fail to uncover the full extent of the network.
One member of the group, who said she was assaulted by Al Fayed in 2001, has told the BBC that she believed Al Fayed did not act alone.
The woman, who uses the pseudonym Isabella, told the BBC's World at One programme: "It was the exploitation of over 400 known children and young women over multiple decades across multiple jurisdictions through organised systems and involving multiple perpetrators, facilitators, corporate and institutional structures."
"What it is not is one bad man, a handful of helpers and isolated sexual abuse," she said.
Isabella said the Met has privately confirmed to her that her abuse fits the description of trafficking but cases will not be investigated that way as the Modern Slavery Act was not in force when the crimes were committed.
The Met Police have said that some 146 people have come forward so far to report a crime as part of their investigation into Al Fayed.
The extent of the businessman's predatory behaviour was brought to light by a BBC documentary and podcast, broadcast in September 2024.
Since then, dozens more women have come forward with similar experiences.
Isabella added: "I don't think that what the Met have said they're investigating is reflective of a multi-decade, multi-perpetrator, multi-jurisdictional trafficking organisation."
The police need to ask the questions of "who knew, what did they know, when did they know it and why was nothing done," she added.
"Only when that has been unpicked can safeguards be put in place to ensure that it doesn't happen again."
Harrods has said more than 180 survivors of abuse by the former owner are currently "engaged" in its compensation scheme, and it has already paid out compensation to more than 50 women.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "Our heartfelt condolences go out to all those affected by this distressing case. The Minister for Safeguarding will be meeting with those impacted and ensure their voices are listened to.
"While we cannot comment on an ongoing investigation, we have declared violence against women and girls as a national emergency. We are deploying the full power of the state in the largest crackdown in British history to halve it within a decade."
The Metropolitan Police has been approached for comment.
