Mohamed Al Fayed's son Omar is horrified by sexual assault allegations

Mohamed Al Fayed's son said he was “horrified” by the sexual assault allegations against his late father, which “cast doubt on the loving memory I had of him”.

Dozens of women have accused the former Harrods store owner – who died last year aged 94 – of multiple rapes and sexual assaults.

Lawyers hoping to bring a case against the department store now represent 60 womenAfter a BBC investigation revealed the allegations from more than 20 women last week.

Omar Al-Fayed said that his father was a “wonderful father,” but added that this “does not blind me from an objective assessment of the circumstances.”

IIn a public statement, the 36-year-old environmental entrepreneur said: “The scale and explicit nature of these allegations are shocking and have cast doubt on the loving memory I have of him.

He added: “How this issue could have been hidden for so long and in so many ways raises more troubling questions.”

He continued: “Throughout history, people in positions of power have often been shielded from the consequences of their actions, and justice has often been delayed or denied to those who have suffered…

“I firmly believe that anyone found guilty of such reprehensible acts, including facilitating, enabling or helping to cover up such acts, regardless of their status, must be held accountable.

He went on to say: “The alleged victims and the public deserve full transparency and accountability.”

Omar Al-Fayed expressed his support for “any legitimate investigation into these allegations,” adding: “I will continue to support the principles of truth, justice, accountability and fairness, regardless of where this journey may lead.”

“No one is above the law, and all victims deserve their day in court.”

He also criticized the BBC for its extensive reporting on the allegations.

Omar Al Fayed was appointed to the board of Harrods in 2006 and remained there until his father sold the company in 2010.

The store's current owners said they were “absolutely horrified”. With these accusations, they condemned his actions “in the strongest terms.”

They admitted that during the period when Harrods was owned by Mohamed Al Fayed, “as a company we let down our employees who were his victims, and for that we deeply apologise.”

They added: “Harrods today is a very different organization to the one Al-Fayed owned and controlled between 1985 and 2010, and it seeks to put the wellbeing of our people at the heart of everything we do.”

Harrods said it has a compensation plan for former employees who say they were attacked by Mohamed Al Fayed, and that it has already reached financial settlements with the majority of people who have contacted it since 2023.

Victims and former employees said he would assault young women employed by the company, threatening them not to speak publicly about his behavior.

Lawyers representing many of them said the billionaire used surveillance at Harrods and… Interventional medical examinations To carry out “systematic abuse”.

They also said there was “credible evidence” of abuse occurring at companies and other properties owned by Al-Fayed.