Survivors of abuse by the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed have told GB News that bosses at the store are refusing to meet them, two years after the scandal first came to light.
Two survivors, Jen Mills and Lindsay Mason, went inside the department store to ask to speak to Harrods’ managing director, Michael Ward, GB News can reveal.
The pair were made to wait by his personal assistant before being told that a meeting “wasn’t possible”.
The two survivors were instead referred to the “contact us” page on Harrods’ main website, GB News understands.
Harrods said it “stand[s] by the progress” it has made in supporting survivors over the last two years.
Mr Ward has previously said: “I am very dreadfully sorry for what has happened with Al Fayed.”
This occurred while around 30 survivors and supporters gathered outside Harrods in central London on Friday to mark the eve of the second anniversary of the BBC documentary, which brought the abuse scandal into public view.
Lindsay Mason told GB News: “The abuse happened from day one at Harrods, at the hands of Fayed and his enablers.
Survivors were instead referred to the ‘contact us’ page on Harrods’ main website
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GB NEWS
“Coming back here brings up lots of feelings of distress.”
Ms Mason added: “We feel very much set aside by Harrods because we haven’t resolved the situation and the settlement. They don’t seem to be paying attention.
“Harrods are arguing with the [Al Fayed] estate and vice versa, and we’ve just got swept under the carpet yet again.”
Survivors were joined by MPs Dave Robertson and Wendy Chamberlain, who co-chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Survivors of Fayed and Harrods.
Harrods, which came under new ownership in 2010, acknowledged the ‘breadth of abuse’ by Mohamed Al Fayed
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PAMs Chamberlain told GB News: “It’s really, really important that people coming into Harrods should know that Harrods is not stepping up in the way that it should be.”
She added: “It is not cooperating in the way that it should be with the inquiries and the justice that survivors are trying to get.
“It is not doing enough in relation to compensation and supporting those who have been traumatised by the offences of Fayed.”
Two years since the scandal was uncovered, more than 500 survivors have come forward and made allegations of sexual misconduct against Al Fayed and other perpetrators linked to him, dating between 1977 and 2014, including sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Mohamed Al-Fayed prior to kick-off died in 2023
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PAThe Metropolitan Police is dealing with at least 159 victims who contacted them directly, including 21 who came forward before Al Fayed’s death in 2023 at the age of 94.
The investigation, known as Operation Cornpoppy, was launched in November 2024 and is looking at people who may have facilitated or enabled Al Fayed’s crimes.
Seven people have been questioned under caution: four women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 80s, and three men in their 60s, 70s and 80s.
Some survivors at the gathering, which was organised by the Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors campaign, were carrying Harrods bags with the store’s famous green logo crossed out.
In a statement, Harrods said: “Today was undoubtedly a difficult day for all survivors of Fayed, and we respect their right to be heard.
“We support all survivors in their pursuit of justice and continue to work closely with the Met police on its investigation, welcoming the continued developments in Operation Cornpoppy.
“We stand by the progress we as a business have made in the past two years in supporting survivors, whether through the Harrods redress scheme, or other routes open to them.
“To date, we have provided compensation and ongoing support to 113 survivors currently engaged with the Harrods redress scheme.
“While the scheme has now closed to new applications, we will continue to work through claims until all eligible claimants have received compensation and support for the abuse they have suffered.”
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