In a move that surprised absolutely no one who has been paying attention, the Home Office has officially confirmed that at least five survivors of abuse by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed were victims of human trafficking. The deceased businessman's associates apparently kept a steady conveyor belt of women heading his way, and the government has now stamped some of those cases with the bureaucratic seal of 'modern slavery'. You know, just in case the whole 'being sexually assaulted by a billionaire' thing wasn't enough of a hint.
One survivor, known as Justine, told the Press Association she felt 'shellshocked' upon receiving the conclusive grounds decision in June. Reading in writing that you were a victim of modern slavery is, as she put it, 'really shocking to read'. Because nothing says 'closure' like a government document confirming what you already knew but needed in triplicate.
Another survivor, Isabella, who worked in the chair's office at Harrods in 2001, pointed out the obvious: 'He couldn't have done what he did without Harrods processing women to him and silencing them afterwards.' She added that it wasn't just Harrods - it was his yachts, his aviation business, the Ritz Paris, his properties in France and Monaco, even the States and the UAE. 'Anywhere that man touched.' So, basically, if Fayed owned it, it was a potential trafficking hub. Good to know.
The cases span from the 1990s to after the 2010 sale of Harrods, with some women recruited under false pretenses and others hired for legitimate roles before being 'selected from the shop floor'. The Met's investigation, Operation Cornpoppy, has been running for 21 months and has questioned four people so far. Four. Out of the hundreds who must have been involved in shuffling women around. But hey, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a thorough investigation into a dead billionaire's sex trafficking ring.
More than 400 allegations of sexual misconduct have been made against Fayed for the period between 1977 and 2014, including rape, sexual assault, human trafficking, false imprisonment, drugging, physical violence, and forced abortions. Fayed, who died in 2023 at age 94, faced no charges in his lifetime. Because of course he didn't.
One woman, Pelham Spong, 40, from South Carolina, said she was trafficked in Paris on his orders in 2008 before being sent to London for his pleasure. Fayed, who owned the Ritz in Paris, forcibly kissed her and offered her €65,000 a year to sleep with him. She declined, presumably because she had standards.
Victims have long complained about the Met's handling of these cases, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct is now examining complaints about the force's handling of allegations between 2018 and 2024. A Harrods spokesperson said the company 'supports all survivors in their pursuit of justice and continues to work closely with the Met police on its investigation.' Translation: We're legally obligated to say this, but we're definitely not thrilled about it.
So, as the investigation continues, one can only hope that the Met's Operation Cornpoppy will eventually pop more than just four question marks. But given the track record, don't hold your breath.