close
close

Ourladyoftheassumptionparish

Part – Newstatenabenn

Mohamed al Fayed was reported to the police ’10 years earlier than the Met claimed’ | UK News
patheur

Mohamed al Fayed was reported to the police ’10 years earlier than the Met claimed’ | UK News

Mohamed al Fayed was reported to police 10 years earlier than Scotland Yard previously claimed, the family of one of his alleged victims has said.

Relatives of Samantha-Jane Ramsay said she went to the Metropolitan Police in the summer of 1995 after she was allegedly harassed and sexually assaulted by the billionaire while working at his Harrods department store in London.

However, officers told the 17-year-old that it would be “her word against his” and that they would add her accusations to the “pile of others they had,” the attorneys said.

No action was taken against Al Fayed and Ramsay died in 2007, aged 28.

The story contradicts the statements of the Met that the allegations about Al Fayed were reported to the force “between 2005 and 2023.”

It comes amid growing criticism and pressure on the force amid allegations that officers failed to adequately respond to multiple allegations about the businessman when he was alive.

The Met said earlier this month that it would launch a “detailed and exhaustive” review how he handled the accusations.

Mohamed al Fayed has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women. Photo: Reuters
Image:
Mohamed al Fayed died last year. Photo: Reuters

A series of accusations – including rape and sexual abuse – against Al Fayed, who He died last year at 94 years old.have emerged in recent weeks following a BBC investigation.

Ramsay’s family said they became so frustrated by the lack of police action that they contacted the News Of The World in 1998 and gave details of the alleged abuse.

She told the newspaper that Al Fayed had kissed and touched her inappropriately after calling her to his office. He handed her £200 before she ran out of the room crying, Ramsay added.

The then-teenager reported the incident to her supervisor, but he sighed and said, “Another one.” Ramsay said she was later fired for filing a complaint and was reprimanded by both Al Fayed and one of his assistants in a final meeting.

Read more:
Timeline of Al Fayed’s sexual abuse allegations

“I had to barricade myself in the bedroom,” says Al Fayed’s accuser
Gascoigne’s daughter says Al Fayed groomed her

Ramsay then returned to his family home in Hampshire, where his mother Wendy said she also reported the alleged attack to local police.

Efforts to instruct a lawyer were also unsuccessful as the family were told they would “get nowhere because Al Fayed was too powerful”, according to Leigh Day, the Ramsays’ legal representative.

Ramsay, who would later be known as Chelsea Eale, died in a car accident in May 2007.

His death was ruled an accident, but his family has expressed doubts about whether it was intentional.

Samantha-Jane Ramsay: alleged victim of Mohamed al Fayed. Image provided by the family through law firm Leigh Day, sent in a press release.
Image:
Samantha-Jane Ramsay died in 2007 at the age of 28.

Her sister Emma Wills said: “There has always been a feeling that it wasn’t an accident because she had made an attempt on his life before.

“I hold Al Fayed responsible. I truly believe that if it hadn’t happened to her, her life would have been different. This happened just as she was becoming an adult, this is not what she should have been dealing with.” .

He added: “She did all the right things to try to report and had the bravery and courage to try to hold Al Fayed accountable, but no one was interested, no one would help her…

“It really infuriates me that if the police had dealt with this properly then his life would have been different.”

Leigh Day said more than 100 women had contacted her about Al Fayed, along with relatives of Ramsay. The law firm stated that it supported their claims for compensation and called for a legal investigation.

Many of the allegations against al Fayed relate to Harrods employees and Fulham FCwhich he owned between 1997 and 2013.

On Thursday, the group Justice for Harrods Survivors said it had been contacted by more than 400 peopleincluding alleged victims and witnesses.

The Met has suggested that Ms Ramsay’s allegations may not have been transferred to its digital records, because some reports from 1995 were on paper.

Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

More alleged victims of Al Fayed come forward

Commander Stephen Clayman, of the Met, said: “While we cannot change what has happened, we recognize that trust is affected by our approach to the past and we are determined to do better.”

“We have made significant changes and advancements to provide better outcomes for victims.”

The force had previously said that while it was not possible to bring criminal proceedings against someone who had died, detectives would still “fully explore whether other people could be pursued for any criminal offences”.

Harrods has previously said it is “completely shocked” by the claims and said it is a “very different organization to the one Fayed owned and controlled between 1985 and 2010”.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK