2 days Ago By [email protected] (Patrick Hill)
A detective who tried to bring Mohamed Al Fayed to justice has blasted the Crown Prosecution Service for refusing to charge him with sex offences when he was alive. Former cop Mark Williams-Thomas, who exposed Jimmy Savile in 2012, tried to get Al Fayed prosecuted in 2015 for attacks on at least five different women. Comparing the billionaire former Harrods owner with Savile, he said: "Just like Jimmy Savile , Mohamed Al Fayed had people close to him who were enablers allowing and covering up his abuse.
"The difference between them both, was that Savile used his power and profile, whereas Al Fayed used his wealth. Both should have been prosecuted whilst alive and yes the police made serious failing in both cases, but ultimately it was the Crown Prosecution Service that failed the many victims of Savile and Al Fayed. "The CPS refused to charge Al Fayed when clearly enough evidence existed and CPS failed in its guidance to police in Savile case, which I believe would have made charges possible.
" Mr Williams-Thomas spoke out after it was revealed police are now probing five of Al Fayed's associates. Officers say 150 people have come forward with information about alleged abuse, including 90 new victims – taking the total to 111 complainants. An internal Met review is also being carried out into how the force handled claims about Fayed while he was alive, amid allegations of corruption and reports that officers were taking bribes to allow him to continue persecuting Harrods staff.
It is claimed the Met Police police may have enabled tycoon Al Fayed to target women and girls between 1977 and 2014, including one who says she was just 13. Some 21 alleged victims came forward with complaints about Al Fayed while he was still alive, but no action was taken. Investigators twice sent files for a charging decision to the PS, once in 2008 relating to three victims and again in 2015 linked to one other.
Al Fayed was arrested in 2013 over a rape allegation, but no charges were ever brought before he died last year aged 94. Met bosses have revealed they approached the Crown Prosecution Service on five occasions between 2005 and 2023 about Fayed, but in each case no charges were brought. They has now voluntarily referred two cases to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, following complaints from two women about the quality of investigations conducted in 2008.
And the Yard are currently re-examining all previous investigations and officers have already looked at 50,000 pages of evidence. Speaking on Wednesday, Met Specialist crime command boss Stephen Clayman said of the new probe, called Operation Corn Poppy: “This investigation is about giving survivors a voice, despite the fact that Al Fayed is no longer alive to face prosecution. “We are now pursuing any individuals suspected to have been complicit in his offending, and we are committed to seeking justice.
I recognise the bravery of every victim-survivor who has come forward to share their experiences, often after years of silence.” Mr Williams-Thomas wrote an exclusive piece for the Mirror about Al Fayed in September after allegations first emerged following a BBC TV documentary. At the time, he wrote: "I did everything I could to bring Mohamed Al Fayed to justice.
"In 2015, I became aware of five different victims, including three who were working closely with me and were willing to testify. Officers from the Metropolitan Police held lengthy meetings with myself and the women, including one aged 16 and one 18 when Al-Fayed attacked them. "Detectives believed the victims and were really keen to prosecute.
But after about five months the Crown Prosecution Service declared there was to be no action against Al Fayed. The women were completely Inside Mohamed Al Fayed's bond with Princess Diana as bombshell sex assault claims emerge, and they were not the only ones. "I was told by an official source that members of the British establishment knew Al Fayed attacked a girl on a boat in the 1990s.
She was too scared to press charges, but after Al-Fayed applied for British citizenship, her well-connected father told government officials about the attack. He was told Al-Fayed would never get British citizenship. He never did.
"I now believe that had my investigation and the police probe taken place in 2012, shortly after I helped unmask Jimmy Savile as a paedophile, the CPS would have gone ahead with the prosecution. But by 2016, the tide had turned following a number of embarrassing acquittals in high-profile cases. "Al-Fayed also had immense wealth and power and a network of people around him who helped keep his criminality under wraps.
They included PR guru Max Clifford, also a sex offender. It chilled me to the bone listening to a tape of Clifford, who died in jail, boasting about protecting Al Fayed, who he called “a randy old sod”. "I remain very disappointed that I was unable to help bring this prolific predator to justice, but I’m glad that a TV documentary has finally managed to unmask the real Mohamed Al-Fayed.
"I have no doubt he has many more victims and hope they will now feel able to come forward and tell their stories, so that the full truth and details of Al Fayed’s depravity can be revealed.".
