Mohamed al-Fayed Accused of Rape...

[Ukunguru Mwanakati]

Mohamed Al Fayed is facing a police probe into a claim that he raped a young woman following a job interview.

The police investigation against the 86-year-old former Harrods owner had been dropped after the alleged victim withdrew her complaint.

But the 22-year-old has come forward with new information. Officers are now reassessing the case, which was not reported publicly at the time.

Mr Al Fayed furiously denies the allegation and claims he will be cleared within days.

He has hired the services of Ian Burton, the lawyer for celebrity publicist Max Clifford, who was jailed for eight years for sex attacks.

The incident is alleged to have taken place in October 2013, when the woman was invited to a job interview with Mr Al Fayed.

She says she was invited to stay on at the tycoon's Mayfair apartment after the interview and claims to have been attacked while incapacitated between 11pm and 1am. The next morning she went straight to police, claiming that she had been the victim of a sex assault.

Officers from Operation Sapphire, the Metropolitan Police's specialist sex crime unit at the time, took a statement and arrested and questioned Mr Al Fayed the next day.

A 36-year-old businesswoman who arranged the interview was also quizzed by detectives.

The complainant is said to have withdrawn the allegation because she became frightened.

Yesterday Mark Williams-Thomas, a former detective and investigative journalist who helped expose Jimmy Savile, told the Mail the woman had recently gone back to the police.

Yesterday a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said the case was being reassessed after the woman recently returned to a central London police station where she spoke to specialist officers. Detectives are now re-examining all the potential evidence and statements made at the time before deciding whether to carry out fresh interviews.

A spokesman said the force ‘can confirm the Metropolitan Police Service investigated an allegation reported to us in October 2013'.

He added: ‘The matter was not proceeded with at the time.

‘However we are reassessing the original investigation as a result of new information.'

Detectives are understood to have told the alleged victim that they will liaise with the Crown Prosecution Service about taking the case forward.

Mr Al Fayed, whose son Dodi was killed in a high-speed car crash in Paris with Princess Diana, said he had done nothing wrong.

He added: ‘I am saddened that, after extensive investigations by the Metropolitan Police Service in 2013, the original complainant feels compelled to request the Metropolitan Police Service to review their original decision. I fully co-operated with the Metropolitan Police Service during their initial investigations after which no charges were brought against me and the file was closed.

‘As I said originally, I completely deny any wrongdoing in this matter and refute the complainant's allegations.'
Al Fayed previously owned Harrods and sold the business to Qatar Holdings in 2010 for around $1.5billion

His lawyers are thought to be confident that police will clear him within days.

A spokesman for the former owner of Fulham Football Club added: ‘In response to an allegation made against him in 2013, Mohamed Al Fayed today expressed his dismay and disappointment that a request by the complainant had been made to The Metropolitan Police Service to have the case reviewed.

‘The Metropolitan Police today confirmed no new evidence had been offered by the complainant and they fully expect their review to be completed early next week.'

Mr Al Fayed, who has amassed an estimated fortune of over £1.2billion, has had a feud with Scotland Yard criticising its inquiry into the deaths of his son and Diana, who he claims were murdered.

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