Alex

I worked at Harrods in my early twenties after being recruited in-store by a scout. From my very first day, I was subjected to the relentless and predatory behaviour of Mohamed Al-Fayed.

He preyed on young and vulnerable employees and used his network of influence to keep people silent and living in fear. 

We were never safe. We were often in locations surrounded by security, but it became clear that they were not there to protect us. They followed us and made sure we knew we were being watched.

Eventually, I left the country, leaving my family behind, because I wanted to put as much distance as possible between myself and him. I simply did not want him to be able to reach me.

For many years I never imagined I would speak about this publicly. I knew I could not have been the only person this happened to, but I also knew I had nothing with which to fight someone as powerful as him.

Things changed when I saw a woman speak out on Dispatches about her experience working for him. it gave me courage to make the first step, but had it not been for Keaton and his wife, my story would have remained in a police archive.  

To this day, as details start to emerge and I watch the documentaries, it is difficult to comprehend just how many women he affected, and how many people within Harrods and associated companies enabled him. The scale of it is a web I could never have imagined.

Today I’m here to stand alongside the women who had the strength to share their stories publicly and expose the truth about this man and the harm he caused. It was an era of torment for so many of us.

I thank them deeply for their courage. They have become the voice for so many of us who still struggle to speak.