Two complaints against the Metropolitan Police over its handling of allegations against former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed will be investigated by the force itself under the direction of a watchdog.
The Met is currently reviewing a total of 21 allegations that were made before Mr Al Fayed died in 2023, and referred two of these to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in November.
On Wednesday the IOPC announced that the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards will continue to investigate the complaints, but under the direction of the watchdog.
Lawyers from Leigh Day, which is representing more than 20 alleged victims, repeated calls for a public inquiry into what happened.
It’s important that an investigation is carried out into these complaints to identify if there were any missed opportunities or failures by officers
IOPC director of operations Steve Noonan said: “Our sympathies are with all the victim-survivors who reported allegations against Mr Al Fayed.
“There is widespread public concern around this case, with a significant number of allegations reported over many years while Mr Al Fayed was still alive.
“It’s important that an investigation is carried out into these complaints to identify if there were any missed opportunities or failures by officers to properly investigate these reports made back in 2008.
“We’ve decided to direct these investigations as the Met’s ongoing review of 21 allegations means it could become much wider than two complaints, and also it will help information sharing between DPS and the ongoing criminal investigation into those who potentially enabled or assisted the alleged offending.
“The complainants will be kept regularly updated throughout the investigation.”
More than 100 alleged victims have contacted police to say they were sexually abused by the tycoon, the youngest of whom is thought to have been 13 at the time.
A number of allegations were made against him while he was still alive.
Investigation into complaints about Met’s handling of Al Fayed allegations
— Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) (@policeconduct) January 8, 2025
IOPC to direct investigation following complaints from victim-survivors into @MetPoliceUK handling of Mohamed Al Fayed allegations
▶️https://t.co/MO2r48IC0W pic.twitter.com/gx47YKMiQ2
Investigators twice sent files for a charging decision to the Crown Prosecution Service – once in 2008 relating to three victims and again in 2015 linked to one other.
On another three occasions – in 2018, 2021 and 2023 – the CPS was asked for what is called early investigative advice, but the matters were not pursued further by police.
In November the Met confirmed that detectives were investigating more than five people who may have facilitated the former Harrods boss in his alleged sexual abuse of dozens of women and girls.
They are looking at individuals surrounding the businessman who could have enabled him to commit crimes which are claimed to have spanned decades between 1977 and 2014.
The force is also facing allegations of police corruption, with the Guardian reporting that officers were accused of taking bribes to help him persecute staff and avoid accusations of abuse.
A thorough and independent investigation via a statutory inquiry is needed to ensure that other people in powerful positions are not emboldened to carry out similar abuse
Emma Jones, a partner at Leigh Day, said: “While we welcome the IOPC’s direction of the investigation into the way two reports from 2008 were handled by the Met Police to ensure that those survivors get some answers into how their reports were handled, there is a much wider problem of how this abuse was facilitated and ignored across a number of organisations.
“This can only be thoroughly examined by a statutory public inquiry, which will understandably attract greater confidence from survivors and the public rather than the Met investigating themselves.
“This is particularly true in relation to questions of whether failures to handle reports properly were due to incompetence or whether there was a more wide-ranging cover-up.
“We have heard time and time again from the survivors who have contacted us about the fear they felt in reporting Al Fayed’s actions and the woeful lack of action they encountered when they did try to alert others to his behaviour by those in positions of authority in Harrods and the police.
“A thorough and independent investigation via a statutory inquiry is needed to ensure that other people in powerful positions are not emboldened to carry out similar abuse, safe in the knowledge that their wealth and influence will protect them from being held accountable.”
