08 January 2025 , 14:12
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Internal inquiry, overseen by IOPC, will seek to establish if there were ‘any missed opportunities or failures’.
The police watchdog is to examine new complaints from victims of Mohamed Al Fayed about the way the Metropolitan police handled allegations against him
The complaints by two victims of the former Harrods owner will be investigated by the force’s directorate of professional standards under the direction of Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The complaints from 2008 and 2013, which were referred to the IOPC by the Met, involve the quality of the force’s response to allegations of sexual assault by Fayed, who died in 2023. The 2013 complaint includes how details about the allegations were leaked to the press.
The IOPC also said it expected a Met review of the way it handled 21 allegations against Fayed would widen as more victims came forward.
Its 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.”
Fayed was arrested in 2013 over a rape allegation, but never charged.
In October 2024 the Guardian reported claims that corrupt police officers had helped Fayed in persecuting members of his staff, including a young woman who allegedly rebuffed the Harrods owner’s sexual advances.
In November the Met said Fayed may have raped and abused at least 111 women and girls over nearly four decades. The alleged cases of abuse involving Fayed include 21 alleged victims who reported crimes to the police between 2005 and his death, and 90 women who have come forward since the BBC aired a documentary on Fayed in September.
More than 400 alleged victims of Fayed predatory behaviour have come forward. Harrods has said more than 250 people are part of its process to settle compensation claims against Fayed.