'PARALYSED BY FEAR'
Mohamed Al Fayed sexually assaulted me in front of his children, says worker as 150 more women step forward with claims
The allegations come after a documentary aired this week
A BRAVE victim of "monster" Mohammed Al Fayed says she was sexually assaulted in front of his children - as 150 more women step forward with claims.
More than 20 women have already laid bare the abuse they suffered at the hands of Al Fayed, who died last year.
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The former Harrods owner is accused of multiple counts of rape and sexual abuse.
Now Dean Armstrong KC has said he expects many more women to come forward with allegations against Al Fayed, with "in excess" of 150 further victims having been in touch since this week's BBC documentary Predator at Harrods.
Survivor Catherine was 19 when she was employed as an assistant to the businessman's personal assistant in 1990.
She was asked to go to his mansion in Oxted, Surrey, to help with his daughter's piano lessons one weekend.
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Catherine told : “He made you feel that if you worked for him, you were like family.”
She described having been introduced to his wife and young children before being led to a large playroom with a piano and a ball pit.
Then "out of nowhere" Al Fayed picked her up "put his hand right up my skirt and sort of groped", then threw her in.
"I remember being submerged and resurfacing and all of them were laughing at me," Catherine said.
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She recalled how the predator got "almost excited" to see her "petrified or terror-struck".
Later, when she'd gone to bed he came into the room and tried to assault her again - and when she fought back he grew "angry".
She contacted another assistant, Natacha, also a victim of Al Fayed's, who advised her to put a chest of drawers across the door.
On starting her job, Natacha, also 19, was sent for a medical, including tests for STIs, without her consent. The results were sent to Al Fayed as she believes she was being "checked for my purity".
She was regularly preyed upon by the entrepreneur, who forced kisses and then groped her without warning, admitting: "The fear left me paralysed."
Natacha kicked herself free when he forced himself on top of her at a hotel room where she was supposed to be undergoing a job review.
As she fled the room, he warned not to tell anyone as he knew where her family lived and he would ensure she never got work in London again.
Catherine was sacked after she pushed Al Fayed away as he "tried to go up my blouse". Both only held their roles for a few months.
'IN EXCESS OF 150 MORE'
Lawyer Armstrong told LBC: "We're already signed up with 37. We have overnight, certainly in excess of 150 more.
"They have contacted us - we're anticipating that it will be more than that."
Armstrong slammed the alleged cover-up by Harrods bosses - saying the rot went beyond Al Fayed.
He said: "It was the facilities and resources of the body corporate that were being used to effectively enable this alleged behaviour.
"That is something which must be addressed very urgently. There was a systematic failure of corporate responsibility."
Armstrong added: "That systematic failure is on the shoulders of Harrods."
The lawyer also represents women employed by Al Fayed at the Ritz hotel in Paris.
Armstrong's team is probing "all entities that Al Fayed had involvement in".
That includes Fulham Football Club, which Al Fayed owned from 1997 until 2013.
Fulham said: "We are deeply troubled and concerned to learn of the disturbing reports following yesterday's documentary.
"We have sincere empathy for the women who have shared their experiences.
"We are in the process of establishing whether anyone at the club is or has been affected."
Who was Mohamed Al Fayed?
MOHAMED AL FAYED was best known as the owner of luxury department store Harrods and father of Princess Diana's boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed.
The billionaire died in August 2023 at the age of 94, almost 26 years to the day after the passing of his son.
Heini Wathen married Mohamed Al-Fayed in 1985 and the couple went on to have four children together; Jasmine, Karim, Camilla and Omar.
Heini and Mohamed's romance began after they were introduced by Mohamed's son Dodi.
The couple are portrayed by Hanna Alström and Salim Daw in the sixth and final season of Netflix's The Crown.
Before marrying Heini, Mohamed had been wed once before.
In 1954 he tied the knot with Saudi Arabian author Samira Khashoggi.
The pair split after two years but welcomed son Dodi together in 1955.
Dodi is Samira and Mohamed's only child, but Mohamed went on to have four more kids with his second wife.
Prior to his death, Mohamed lived in a house near Oxted with his wife Heini.
The family estate in Surrey, named Barrow Green Court, is where both Mohamed and his son Dodi are buried.
His eldest son - Dodi - was killed alongside Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.
Harrods sources said the firm has accepted "vicarious liability" for Al Fayed's conduct.
It is understood that settlements have been reached with a number of victims since Al Fayed's death in 2023.
Harrods previously said it was "utterly appalled" by the allegations of abuse.
The firm said it has set up a page on its website inviting former employees to come forward if they have allegations.
Yesterday Armstrong said: "This case combines some of the most horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein.
"Savile because in this case as in that the institution we say knew about the behaviour.
"Epstein, because there was a procurement system in place to source the women and girls for abuse. There are some very young victims.
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"Weinstein because it was a person at the very top of the organisation who was abusing his power."
Armstrong added: "We will say it plainly, Mohamed Al Fayed was a monster."
Damaged store might not recover
By Ashley Armstrong, Business Editor
HARRODS has survived world wars, two bomb attacks and a fire — but now its fortunes may be tarnished forever.
There are concerns wealthy shoppers may not want to be seen with its distinctive green and gold bags after the posh store admitted it failed to protect staff from predator Mohamed Fayed.
Retail consultant Mary Portas told The Sun: “The rumours were rife and he was a horror. I hope the store isn’t affected but those who surrounded and suppressed this are held to account.”
Harrods has a problem drawing a line under its former owner as echoes of Fayed remain literally all over the shop.
His garish Egyptian escalator, commissioned in 1997, still dominates the Knightsbridge department store from ground to fifth floor.
Ex-Fayed lieutenant Michael Ward has been managing director since 2005 — five years before his boss sold out for £1.5billion to the Qatari Royal Family.
Despite his sincere apology to staff, it might be understandable the Qataris would want a change of face.
Accounts this month revealed the Qataris handed themselves a £180million dividend last year, despite a 35 per cent fall in profits to £111.5million on the back of pensions changes.
In a sign of its attractiveness, sales rose by 8.2 per cent to £1billion in the past year, while other luxury stores such as Harvey Nichols struggled.
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