The wickedness of Mohamed Al Fayed

The allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed are dreadful: the former Harrods owner has been accused of raping five women and sexually abusing at least 15 others when they worked at his department store. A BBC investigation, which detailed the allegations, claimed that this abuse took place from the late 1980s to the 2000s.

The consistent thread of the allegations against Al Fayed – who died last year aged 94 – was that he used his power and wealth to target women who worked for him at Harrods. Al Fayed, it seems, had a well-established modus operandi; he would prowl the floors of his store, looking for assistants or workers whom he found attractive. When he did, he would ply them with champagne before forcing himself on them. On occasion, he would take them to the former Parisian home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Villa Windsor, and rape or assault them there.