Al Fayed's brother Salah also abused us, women say

In a shocking revelation, three former employees of Harrods, the renowned London department store, have come forward with serious allegations against Salah Fayed, the brother of Mohamed Al Fayed. These women have accused Salah of committing acts of abuse, including sexual assault and trafficking, during the late 1980s and 1990s. The allegations were shared with the BBC, where the women detailed their experiences of being abused in various locations, including London, the south of France, and Monaco, between 1989 and 1997. One of the women, who has chosen to remain anonymous, believes she was raped by Salah after being drugged. All three women also claim that Mohamed Al Fayed, who was the chairman of Harrods at the time, sexually assaulted them as well. Following these allegations, Harrods, which has been under new ownership since 2010, issued a statement acknowledging the seriousness of the claims and the extent of the abuse attributed to the Fayed brothers. Salah Fayed passed away in 2010 after battling pancreatic cancer. He, along with his brothers, purchased the luxury department store in 1985. Mohamed Al Fayed added the Arabic prefix 'Al' to his surname in the 1970s. One of the women, identified as Helen, has bravely decided to share her story publicly for the first time after remaining silent for 35 years. At the age of 23, Helen had been working at Harrods for nearly two years when she was raped by Mohamed Al Fayed in a hotel room in Dubai. After this traumatic event, when Mohamed offered her a job assisting his younger brother Salah, she saw it as an opportunity to escape her situation. However, she claims that Salah drugged her and subsequently raped her while she was unconscious. Helen stated, 'They've stolen a part of me. It's changed the course of my entire life. ' The BBC has also independently interviewed two other women who reported similar experiences of abuse at the hands of both brothers. They described being trafficked abroad and manipulated by Salah into using crack cocaine. One of the women recounted, 'He was trying to get me hooked on crack so he could do whatever he wanted to me. ' Helen explained that she was first noticed by Mohamed during his routine inspections of the Harrods store. In February 1989, she was alarmed to discover that she would be traveling alone with Mohamed to Dubai and staying in his hotel suite, while the rest of his team would be in separate accommodations. On the first night, while preparing for bed, Helen was startled to see Mohamed appear in her bathroom without warning. 'It was like out of a horror film,' she recalled. He forcibly took her into his room, where he raped her. Helen felt terrified and isolated, unable to confide in anyone about the assault. Two months later, she was pressured into signing a non-disclosure agreement by Harrods, which further silenced her for over three decades. In the months that followed, Helen began planning her departure from Harrods, stating, 'I didn't want to see his face again. ' When Mohamed asked her to assist Salah with some filing work, she thought it would be a way out. Initially, Salah appeared friendly, but after a couple of days, he offered her a drink that made her feel strange. 'Within a few sips, I was starting to feel a bit groggy,' she said. Salah then encouraged her to try smoking crack cocaine, claiming it would make her feel better. 'That's the last thing I knew of that whole evening,' she recounted. When she regained consciousness, she found herself in a different room, feeling disoriented and realizing that she had been sexually assaulted. Salah then made a phone call to Mohamed, laughing with him in Arabic while Helen was still in shock. She later decided to leave and felt the need to be alone. Helen now believes that Salah's friend, whom she encountered later, also assaulted her that night. 'That's the hardest thing I've ever had to say,' she admitted. Shortly after these events, Helen resigned from her position at Harrods. Two other women have also shared their experiences of being lured to Monaco under false pretenses and subsequently abused by Salah. Rachael, who was 23 at the time, was offered a job as Salah's personal assistant but quickly realized that she was being treated more like a companion. One night in Monaco, she woke up to find Salah in her bed, leaving her terrified. During her time with him, she was introduced to older men who made inappropriate advances towards her. Rachael now questions whether she was merely a pawn in Salah's game. Another woman, referred to as Rebecca, also reported being sexually assaulted by Mohamed Al Fayed in Park Lane. At 19, she was invited to work for Salah in Monaco, only to discover that there was little actual work to be done. Salah pressured her to join him in a hot tub, where he assaulted her. Harrods has encouraged these survivors to come forward and seek justice, offering support and compensation through their scheme. Helen, who has finally found the courage to speak out, hopes to inspire other victims of abuse to share their stories and seek help.