Mohamed El Fayed

[CassieMaddox]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz6x635wpjxo

This is shocking. It is scary these men are so powerful they have to die before the scale of their offending becomes clear.

I think NDAs should be banned. Rich men are able to use them to cover up their crimes.

Yes. It's the enormous entitlement, and "well, I'm the King here and these women are just my property, for me to do with as I wish".

I am not a lawyer but I fail to see how the new owners can legally, retrospectively, be held responsible to make amends for the crimes of the man who sold them Harrods in 2010.

I worked at Harvey Nichols in the early 90s. There was some crossover between HN and Harrods, I had colleagues who had worked there and shared a flat with young women who did promotions in various London department stores.

MAF was well known as a groper and a perv and I'd go so far to say it was public knowledge that you should avoid being alone with him.

I'd have a hard time believing anyone present at the time who says now that they hadn't heard about it.

I worked in Horrids in the 90s as a student. It was well known that security would identify suitable females and they'd be offered a job in the chairman's office. A colleague of mine was groped. HR basically said that it'll cost you to go to tribunal and you have no witnesses- how about you get 70% staff discount. She took the offer, furnished and decorated her house and promptly left (we were in the furniture dept). Another friend from Uni was offered a job in the Chairman's office. She declined as she was Saturday staff whilst at Uni. He called her at home to offered her money and dinner etc. She didn't return the following Saturday. They were both tall, slim attractive blondes and in their early 20s. I'm a pixie so obviously didn't pass muster 😀 .

It wasn't only blonde young women and girls on the 'shop floor'.I knew someone who was employed there in the late 80s/ early 90s providing in house professional services. She was a slim, attractive brunette. She said at the time she avoided being alone with him. And then I heard she quit. I learnt afterwards that he'd sexually assaulted her during a 'work meeting'.

Popbitch had an interesting link yesterday to Max Clifford's off the record chitchat on this very topic.

Is anyone surprised? Beast vibes ripping out of him.

Makes you wonder if that was the real reason the royal family weren't keen on Diana going out with Dodi, rather than his religion.

I haven't read my email yet, I'll do that now.

Sorry, this won’t be a popular opinion. I encountered this shit 35 years ago on several occasions as a beautiful young woman.

There was never a second time with the same person.

I don’t understand why, if someone had already been compromised by a sleazy old shit, they would willingly get in a plane and fly with them to their private house in Paris or wherever.

Surely, as I did, you’d say go fuck yourself and leave the first time it happened?

My potential abusers were equally high profile. Top flight business leader and MP.

The Private Eye were running stories on Al Fayed and his predilection for young female staff members years ago.

As I recall, he had a male lawyer who’d go in, heavy handed, with threats of legal action whenever they got word that one of the tabloids had a story to run. And of course he NDA’d / paid off those women he thought he needed to.

Apologies, I meant R Kelly

Had a brain fart as P Diddy all over the news.

Sounds like both as bad as each other though.

No thanks I wont, because thats enabling the BBC, and I've decided I'm not doing it another second.
They are the prime driver of tra in the mainstream and are the breeding ground for endless dodginess endlessly covered up.
The only way they will ever get the message is if enough people say no.
We all know this, we cannot complain if we keep supporting them.
Thats the trouble with habit and convenience it can be more powerful than the desire to right wrongs, as weve all seen for 6 years, so imv either we do or dont enable them even if its downloading sounds or posting links.
There are plenty of other sources of info now.

Sorry if I seem full on about this, but I really dont see how we end this properly without turning the left media, they are constantly undermining our efforts and the Beeb are by far the worst offenders with the biggest reach, here and overseas. Where they go others follow.
By god I want this to end Im so sick of it,

It's good to know that you were a beautiful young woman.
You ask why do people, (in this case, young female employees), allow people like MAF to entertain/treat/influence them when he has already probably abused them before?
Thankfully I've never been in this position, (not beautiful enough.....), but I can guess at them being maybe:
Very innocent and naive?
Thinking it was "normal"?
Flattered?
Scared of losing their jobs if they refused?
Just not confident enough to resist or call out such a seemingly powerful person?

I bet Michael Cole, Fayed’s right hand man, on tv defending him every five minutes, who said he @regarded Fayed as a father, knew what was going on and would have some stories to tell.

it also makes me wonder about Raine Spencer, elevated to a high position by Fayed in Harrods. Probably a very ‘close friend’…

Oops, missed the top of his head😁

RaspberryParade there were some first hand interviews with key info.

I listen to the bbc so I can complain. Because the vast majority of ppl have no idea and just listen because it's the bbc

If they're not held to account they won't change. They have more reason to change their systems than independent broadcasters.

@MrsSkylerWhite carrot, stick and few choices.

If you can leave you do. If you can’t you find ways to manage it.

I don't think Fayed was "an emperor in his own world".
He ran a shop where lots of people were complicit in him raping and abusing the staff.
Saville was involved with charities and hospitals were many were complicit with him raping and abusing patients and children.

Both men used their position as "above the law" to rape and abuse. It matters little (to me) that Al Fayed owned the shop. Saville was donating so much to charities he effectively "owned" them too.

There are multitudes of men like this. Russell Brand. R Kelly. Michael Jackson. Jimmy Saville. P Diddy (looks like).

Cesarina

Not sure why your reply was so sarcastic? Yes, I was beautiful. So, presumably were the young women in question, which is likely why the evil
old bastard selected them.
I was naive, too but sure as hell wouldn’t have put myself in the same situation twice.

I think it is because a business like Harrods is a legal entity in it's own right. It's not actually the owners as such, it's the business.

In a way it's the logical corollary of the fact that the business is separated from the owner - so if the business goes bankrupt, for example, the owner is not on the hook for that personally. It's a business debt, they wont have to sell their house of something to pay it off.

The way that separation is made legally is by making the business a kind of person in its own right - which means it is responsible for anything it does "wrong". Otherwise no one would be responsible.

Many of us heard the rumours when I worked there 35 years ago, fortunately he had no interest in me. Sad for the victims.

I think victims don't always behave how they "should" and a lot of times abusers go for victims precisely because they are giving off subconscious signs that they won't be capable of guarding themselves against abuse well.
Cut cesarina a bit of slack, noone knows what experiences people have had that might make them sensitive.

to both of you

I was so naive in my first job. Boss was handsy with all the girls. I complained, immediate dismissal. I never complained again even when two further bosses tried it on despite the fact that I was married.

I know what you mean, and I think it just points to depressing familiarity. I do not say this lightly, but I actually have started to feel my mental health being affected by this endless litany of male sexual abusers. It just seems endless, and so, so depressing.

Disgusting creature forcing himself on young women who wouldn't have looked once at him.
The fucker might be dead but the enablers perhaps aren't could they be liable in a court of law I genuinely don't know but hope the women who were subjected to his crimes get justice.