Mohammed Al Fayed.

He was clearly a particularly bad (and powerful) apple, but almost everywhere I worked in the sixties and seventies there were high status men who tried it on - some only with the dim, or naive, or just pretty - some with anyone alive! BUT we all learnt PDQ to keep doors open, ourselves nearer to doors than the dodgy geezers, take a very firm 'not on your life mate' at the first approach and to stick together. As for working with the boss in the same unit as a bedroom. I don't think so.

Prosecutions will happen when there is a good chance of them being successful.

Only a small percentage of sexual assault cases are successful, and they are not against people of Al Fayeds standing.

Don't insinuate anyhing else, please.

It's not worth it, over a fuel allowance.

Seconded

AJKW

Hazelnuts,
Because of this I wonder what Keir Starlin gets up to in his spare time.
He turned a blind eye, why, I wonder.

I don’t know who Keir Starlin is, but feel you are making a rather inappropriate inference.

KS is not to be blamed, he did his job is all.

hazelnuts

They did complain. The Crown Prosecution Service on several occasions when the case was presented to them refused to prosecute saying there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the cases.
Guess who was in charge of the Crown Prosecution Service at the time ----same one who refused to prosecute Jimmy Saville so both were allowed to continue their evil ways with the blessings of __-

In the case of the first complaint by the 15yr old child Kier Starmer was not head of the CPS.
AL Fayad went to Twickenham police station on 28th Oct 2008.
Kier Starmer took up the post on 1st Nov 2008.

Daddima
You obviously don’t live in the UK.
Kier Starmer is the Prime Minister of the UK.

petra

Daddima
You obviously don’t live in the UK.
Kier Starmer is the Prime Minister of the UK.

Seems my sarcasm was lost on you, Petra! I am well aware who Keir Starmer is, and just feel that if AJKW is going to make horrible insinuations ( as I assume that was the intention), they should at least get the name right! 😂

I am far from being young, but I worked for him in his Highland Estate 2010 to 2012

With respect, it seemed to be young girls he went for though….

That was a horrible post AJKW and says more about your way of thinking than anything

petra

Daddima
You obviously don’t live in the UK.
Kier Starmer is the Prime Minister of the UK.

But Keir Starlin isn't, whoever he may be. Wrong end of stick, Petra ?

Personally, I can't stand Keith Stomper.

Oreo I am guessing that some of the women thought they could keep dodging the bullet. I am also guessing that a lot of people knew about his deviance as I could never understand why he was continuously refused British citizenship.

MissAdventure

Personally, I can't stand Keith Stomper.

😂
I have to say I've always thought he was a wrong 'un, too.

Newdawn

Oreo I am guessing that some of the women thought they could keep dodging the bullet. I am also guessing that a lot of people knew about his deviance as I could never understand why he was continuously refused British citizenship.

Interesting point so I looked up his Citizenship claims, they were made in 1995 and 1999

"This article gives a pretty full account of why Al Fayed was not given British citizenship: the official reasons -at the time, 1990’s

He was twice denied British citizenship. He applied for a passport in 1995 and again in 1999, but failed to pass the "good character" test required by the Home Office

Cash for questions

Part of the reason he was denied a passport was because of the "cash for questions" payments he had made to MPs.

Fayed paid two Conservative MPs £2,000 each to ask questions in Parliament on Harrods' behalf. The MPs received the cash in brown envelopes and failed to declare the payments.

The story broke in 1994, when he gave the politicians' names to the press, but the questions were asked in the late 1980s.”

news.sky.com/story/mohamed-al-fayed-egyptian-born-tycoon-was-never-far-from-controversy-12810839#:~:text=He%20was%20twice%20denied%20British,required%20by%20the%20Home%20Office.&text=Part%20of%20the%20reason%20he,he%20had%20made%20to%20MPs.

I dare say, some of the young women may have felt quite privileged to have caught the eye of such a wealthy, powerful man.

Thats the nature of this kind of set up - the powerplay and inequality, and not just in terms of financially.

There’s an interesting article in today’s Times 2, written by a woman who worked in Harrods for Al Fayed. She explains why she did not leave and how difficult it was.
I do not know if what she has written is a true explanation of the situation, but it makes thoughtful reading.

MissAdventure

I dare say, some of the young women may have felt quite privileged to have caught the eye of such a wealthy, powerful man.

Thats the nature of this kind of set up - the powerplay and inequality, and not just in terms of financially.

He would have also refined his approach so that he came across as fatherly, generous and kind to his victims until he was ready to pounce. He'd have also had a radar as to who he could make advances to. When his advances failed because he got it wrong, he'd pay for silence and move the girls on. There might have been rumours but without evidence some of these girls might well have been lulled into a false sense of security.
Regardless of what the girls did, at the end of the day, no means no and these girls did not give consent to the sexual assaults.

Was this a situation here being in a Union might have helped?

Working at Harrods always seemed to be prestigious compared to working in other stores. I had a friend who had worked there in the 1960s (before the days of Fayed).

^"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,
"'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy^

He was like a malevolent spider, weaving his web ever wider.

Obviously the authorities knew what he was like as he was denied British citizenship, but perhaps not the extent of his evil.

So, what happened to the women who did make a complaint? They were accused of theft, and the Police involved. Imagine being that lovely 19 year old. Shaken by the assault, then bombarded with disbelief and legal jeopardy. Stop saying they should have done this or that.

Maremia

Was this a situation here being in a Union might have helped?

They weren't allowed one.

Maremia

So, what happened to the women who did make a complaint? They were accused of theft, and the Police involved. Imagine being that lovely 19 year old. Shaken by the assault, then bombarded with disbelief and legal jeopardy. Stop saying they should have done this or that.

Yes, it is so easy to say unless you were there and experienced that horror.

And judgemental too.

@Bluebelle .. I do still think he was a nice man, I have never met any of the women who are accusing him so I can't have an opinion on them. You're right it was a small community and they don't have their sins tattooed on their forehead but one thing for sure is as a small community we all knew each other and secrets are very hard to keep, people would have noticed if someone suddenly changed or became scared to be in his quarters alone for example...