MOHAMED Al Fayed’s son has sparked fury after bizarrely accusing the BBC of using the rape allegations against his father to distract from Huw Edwards.
Former Harrods owner Al Fayed is accused of multiple counts of rape and sexual abuse.
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More than 20 women have already laid bare the abuse they suffered at the hands of Al Fayed, who died last year.
Another 150 victims have since come forward with claims, Dean Armstrong KC said yesterday.
But Al Fayed’s son Omar has bizarrely dismissed the allegations as “completely outrageous”, the Mail reports.
Omar told a friend: “I think the Beeb have had this up their back pocket with all the fire they are coming under.
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“I think it’s timely that they deployed it just as Huw Edwards is let off the hook effectively for the most disgusting conduct.”
Eco-warrior Omar added: “The allegations of rape are completely outrageous.”
One of the women sexually assaulted by Al Fayed slammed Omar’s “disgusting and absurd” conspiracy theory.
She said: “Fayed’s appalling abuse was on a vast scale and the BBC deserves enormous praise for exposing it.”
Yesterday lawyer Armstrong told LBC: “We’re already signed up with 37. We have overnight, certainly in excess of 150 more.
“They have contacted us – we’re anticipating that it will be more than that.”
Armstrong slammed the alleged cover-up by Harrods bosses – saying the rot went beyond Al Fayed.
He said: “It was the facilities and resources of the body corporate that were being used to effectively enable this alleged behaviour.
“That is something which must be addressed very urgently. There was a systematic failure of corporate responsibility.”
Armstrong added: “That systematic failure is on the shoulders of Harrods.”
The lawyer also represents women employed by Al Fayed at the Ritz hotel in Paris.
Armstrong’s team is probing “all entities that Al Fayed had involvement in”.
That includes Fulham Football Club, which Al Fayed owned from 1997 until 2013.
Fulham said: “We are deeply troubled and concerned to learn of the disturbing reports following yesterday’s documentary.
“We have sincere empathy for the women who have shared their experiences.
“We are in the process of establishing whether anyone at the club is or has been affected.”
Harrods sources said the firm has accepted “vicarious liability” for Al Fayed’s conduct.
It is understood that settlements have been reached with a number of victims since Al Fayed’s death in 2023.
Harrods previously said it was “utterly appalled” by the allegations of abuse.
Who was Mohamed Al Fayed?
MOHAMED AL FAYED was best known as the owner of luxury department store Harrods and father of Princess Diana’s boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed.
The billionaire died in August 2023 at the age of 94, almost 26 years to the day after the passing of his son.
Heini Wathen married Mohamed Al-Fayed in 1985 and the couple went on to have four children together; Jasmine, Karim, Camilla and Omar.
Heini and Mohamed’s romance began after they were introduced by Mohamed’s son Dodi.
The couple are portrayed by Hanna Alström and Salim Daw in the sixth and final season of Netflix’s The Crown.
Before marrying Heini, Mohamed had been wed once before.
In 1954 he tied the knot with Saudi Arabian author Samira Khashoggi.
The pair split after two years but welcomed son Dodi together in 1955.
Dodi is Samira and Mohamed’s only child, but Mohamed went on to have four more kids with his second wife.
Prior to his death, Mohamed lived in a house near Oxted with his wife Heini.
The family estate in Surrey, named Barrow Green Court, is where both Mohamed and his son Dodi are buried.
His eldest son – Dodi – was killed alongside Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.
The firm said it has set up a page on its website inviting former employees to come forward if they have allegations.
On Friday Armstrong said: “This case combines some of the most horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein.
“Savile because in this case as in that the institution we say knew about the behaviour.
“Epstein, because there was a procurement system in place to source the women and girls for abuse. There are some very young victims.
“Weinstein because it was a person at the very top of the organisation who was abusing his power.”
Armstrong added: “We will say it plainly, Mohamed Al Fayed was a monster.”
“Weinstein because it was a person at the very top of the organisation who was abusing his power.”
Armstrong added: “We will say it plainly, Mohamed Al Fayed was a monster.”
Damaged store might not recover
By Ashley Armstrong, Business Editor
HARRODS has survived world wars, two bomb attacks and a fire — but now its fortunes may be tarnished forever.
There are concerns wealthy shoppers may not want to be seen with its distinctive green and gold bags after the posh store admitted it failed to protect staff from predator Mohamed Fayed.
Retail consultant Mary Portas told The Sun: “The rumours were rife and he was a horror. I hope the store isn’t affected but those who surrounded and suppressed this are held to account.”
Harrods has a problem drawing a line under its former owner as echoes of Fayed remain literally all over the shop.
His garish Egyptian escalator, commissioned in 1997, still dominates the Knightsbridge department store from ground to fifth floor.
Ex-Fayed lieutenant Michael Ward has been managing director since 2005 — five years before his boss sold out for £1.5billion to the Qatari Royal Family.
Despite his sincere apology to staff, it might be understandable the Qataris would want a change of face.
Accounts this month revealed the Qataris handed themselves a £180million dividend last year, despite a 35 per cent fall in profits to £111.5million on the back of pensions changes.
In a sign of its attractiveness, sales rose by 8.2 per cent to £1billion in the past year, while other luxury stores such as Harvey Nichols struggled.