Police officers investigated over handling of Mohamed Al Fayed sexual abuse allegations
A serving Metropolitan Police officer and four former colleagues are under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over their handling of sexual abuse allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed.
The investigation follows complaints about the former owner of Harrods, who died in 2023 aged 94. More than 400 allegations of sexual harassment have been made against Al Fayed, some dating back to 1977.
The IOPC confirmed that the investigation into the officers, which the BBC said was launched in January 2025, was related to reports made by four individuals against Al Fayed.
In a statement to the BBC, the IOPC said: “At this stage five people, including a serving Met officer and four former Met officers, have been notified that they are being investigated for potential misconduct.”
A Met Police spokesman told the BBC that police were assisting the IOPC’s investigation into five officers.
The statement said: “One officer and four former officers are being investigated for possible misconduct. The service of notices does not necessarily mean that misconduct investigations will follow.”
“Our investigation into those who may have facilitated or enabled Mohamed Al Fayed to commit crimes continues.”
In March, the Metropolitan Police said a man in his 60s was being questioned under caution over allegations of human trafficking and facilitating rape in connection with the investigation into Al Fayed.
This came after the three women were questioned by detectives between February 25 and March 5 on suspicion of aiding and abetting rape and sexual assault, assisting in the commission of sexual offenses and human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Police reported that no arrests were made and the investigation continues.
The Metropolitan Police had previously announced that the force was investigating people in Al Fayed’s circle who might have enabled him to commit more than 400 sexual assault crimes, allegedly spanning decades between 1977 and 2014.
