(CNN) – Sixty-five more women have come forward with abuse allegations against the late billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, according to the BBC, following the network’s documentary detailing testimonies from women who said they were sexually assaulted by him.
The allegations first arose in Dubai in 1977, eight years before Al Fayed bought the exclusive Harrods department store in London, making him widely known in the United Kingdom.
Of the dozens of women who contacted the BBC with new accounts of abuse, 37 said they had worked at Harrods, the British broadcaster reported.
As part of a BBC investigation published last month, more than 20 former Harrods employees had accused Al Fayed, who has already died aged 94, of sexual assault. One of them said he was attacked when he was 15 and Al Fayed was 79.
Harrods acknowledged that Al Fayed “was determined to abuse his power wherever he operated” and apologized to his victims in a statement released at the time. “We are absolutely appalled by the abuse allegations made by Mohammed Al Fayed,” the company said.
The attacks are said to have taken place at various locations, including Al Fayed’s luxury apartment building in London and the Ritz Hotel in Paris, which is owned by Al Fayed.
Al Fayed’s son Toddy Fayed died in a high-speed car crash in Paris in 1997 with Princess Diana.
The latest allegations involve a variety of abusive tactics, with several women said to have been recruited under false pretenses to work as nannies, cooks and maids at Al Fayed’s private homes and then sexually exploited, the BBC reported.
“The work is not easy. I don’t need a babysitter. “I don’t need a babysitter,” one woman told the BBC about working at Al Fayed’s mansion in Surrey, England, where she says she was held against her will and repeatedly sexually assaulted for days.
In a report released last month, Harrods said last year “new information came to light” about historic allegations of sexual abuse against Al Fayed. Since then, “our priority has been to resolve claims quickly, avoiding lengthy legal procedures for the women involved. “This process is available to any current or former Harrods employee.”
The company issued another statement on Thursday regarding the latest allegations: “Since 2023, Harrods has resolved a number of complaints from women who allegedly historically sexually abused Fayed. Since the documentary aired, more than 200 people have been involved in resolving complaints directly with Harrods.”
Catherine Nicholls contributed to this report.
