Harrods ‘will provide payouts of as much as £300,000 to victims of Mohamed al Fayed’s sexual abuse if they comply with psychiatric testing’

Harrods is proposing potential six-figure payouts to settle claims brought by sexual abuse victims of its former owner, Mohamed al Fayed, if they agree to a psychiatric assessment. 

MPL Legal, a law firm representing the department-store, has told potential claimants that they could be offered between £110,000 and £200,000, Sky News reports. 

Those alleging sexual abuse by al Fayed – who is now regarded as one of Britain’s most notorious sex offenders – could be owed ‘general damages limited to compensation for sexual assault of up to £110,000’, with ‘aggravated damages [of] up to £15,000’, according to a document seen by Sky. 

They could also be offered ‘wrongful testing fixed payment(s) up to £7,500’.

Claimants who agree to psychiatric testing – referred to in the document as the ‘medical pathway’ – would be eligible for general damages of up to £200,000, as well as treatment costs ‘past and future supported by the medical report’ and a ‘work impact payment capped at £110,000’.

The ‘wrongful testing’ payments refer to women who were forced to undergo intrusive medical examinations demanded by al Fayed. 

The ‘work impact payments’, meanwhile, relate to loss of earnings fuelled by, for example, unfair termination of victims’ employment at Harrods. 

A spokesperson for Harrods told MailOnline in a statement: ‘It would be premature for us to comment on the nature and details of a scheme that is currently under consultation. 

Harrods is proposing potential six-figure payouts to settle claims brought by sexual abuse victims of its former owner, Mohamed al Fayed

Former owner of Harrods Mohamed Al Fayed pictured wearing a doorman uniform outside Harrods

Al Fayed was hit with an avalanche of rape and assault claims. Among his victims is model Bianca Gascoigne, 37, (pictured)

‘We are actively inviting the valuable input from Survivors and their legal representatives to establish the final scheme that aims to be survivor-first, trauma-informed, and fair in its approach to compensation. 

‘Further updates will be provided once the consultation period is complete.’ 

MPL Legal was also approached for comment.

Al Fayed, who died aged 94 in 2023, was hit with an avalanche of rape and assault claims after at least two former Harrods workers told a BBC documentary they had been raped or molested by the Egyptian tycoon.

Meanwhile last year, the Met Police revealed they were investigating 40 new allegations against Al Fayed and others since the BBC documentary.

The 40 new allegations related to 40 alleged victims and were in addition to allegations police were aware of before the BBC’s investigation and documentary, Scotland Yard said.

Prior to recent media coverage, 21 allegations were made against the late billionaire which resulted in crimes being recorded relating to 21 separate women between 2005 and 2023. 

The Met has now widened its investigation to look at associates who may have assisted and facilitated the abuse – meaning criminal charges could still be on the cards even though the direct perpetrators have died.

Harrods Royal Warrants Displayed Above The Store In Knightsbridge

Lawyers for the victims describe Al Fayed as a predator on the scale of Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein

Meanwhile, a survivors group called Justice for Harrods Survivors says it has ‘credible evidence’ suggesting the sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated at Harrods and the billionaire’s properties ‘was not limited to Mr al Fayed himself’.

Lawyers for the victims describe Al Fayed as a predator on the scale of Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein.

Among his victims is the daughter of England footballer Paul Gascoigne, who bravely opened up last year about the moment she was allegedly sexually assaulted by al Fayed. 

Model Bianca Gascoigne, 37, said she was groomed and sexually assaulted by the former Harrods boss when she worked in the department store as a teenager.

She told how al Fayed would grope her and force her to kiss him during their weekly meetings, before turning up at her apartment.

Whilst there, he allegedly sexually assaulted her when she was just 16.