When 20 women gathered together to raise sexual abuse allegations against one of the most famous billionaires out there, all heads turned toward that piece of news.
The man behind the allegations is the late Egyptian billionaire and businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, who ran the world-renowned London department store Harrods.
When Did It All Begin?
The accusations date back to 1985 when Al Fayed allegedly began a series of abuses that spanned his 25-year tenure. Then, it was all thrown into the limelight during a televised news conference in London, which took place in the wake of the BBC documentary “Al-Fayed: Predator At Harrods.”
During the new conference, a four-member legal team told reporters that 37 women spoke up about the abuse and that there were more women approaching the legal team.
Along with the news conference, the documentary itself sheds light on the series of sexual abuse. In the documentary, Al Fayed was accused of raping at least five women at his properties in London and Paris, along with taking part in a series of acts that include assault and physical violence, both inside and outside of Harrods.
The Shocking Aspects
Back during his 25-year tenure, Al-Fayed assaulted not just women but teenagers, with one that was reportedly as young as 15. Seeing as how more than 37 women spoke, lawyers said that this case was akin to the crimes of sex offenders Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein, and Harvey Weinstein.
“This case combines some of the most horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein, and Harvey Weinstein,” said lead lawyer Dean Armstrong.
Along with that, the lawyers have described him as a “monster,” and one of his victims, Natacha, told the press that the billionaire businessman was “highly manipulative.”