Mohamed Al Fayed Investigation Takes Major Turn as Met Police Hand Evidence File to Prosecutors

The investigation into allegations of sexual offences linked to late Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed has taken a major step forward after the Metropolitan Police submitted an evidence file to prosecutors for a charging decision.

The file concerns a man in his 80s who is suspected of two indecent assaults against two women in London, the Met confirmed in an update sent to survivor groups. According to a report by Sky News, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will now consider whether there is enough evidence to bring charges, although prosecutors have not given a timeframe for their decision.

The development is significant because Al Fayed himself died in 2023 aged 94 and never faced criminal charges over the allegations made against him. The latest investigation is instead examining people connected to the alleged offending and whether others may have helped facilitate or conceal sexual abuse.

Police File Sent to CPS

The Met told survivor groups that the evidence file relates to one suspect and two alleged indecent assaults involving two women in London.

In the statement seen by Sky News, the force said officers would continue working with CPS prosecutors as the case progressed. The suspect has not been publicly identified.

The Met also revealed that seven suspects have been interviewed under caution as part of the wider investigation. They include four women and three men, who have been questioned over suspected offences including aiding and abetting rape and sexual assault, assisting in the commission of sexual offences and human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Being interviewed under caution does not mean a person has been charged or found guilty of an offence.

More Than 400 Allegations Against Al Fayed

The latest development comes against the backdrop of hundreds of allegations made against Al Fayed. More than 400 allegations of sexual misconduct have been reported, covering a period between 1977 and 2014. The claims include rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

The Met says at least 156 alleged victims have contacted the force directly, including 21 people who came forward before Al Fayed's death.

Al Fayed, who owned Harrods from 1985 until 2010, repeatedly denied allegations of wrongdoing during his lifetime. He died in London in August 2023. The investigation has continued despite his death, with detectives focusing on whether other people may have enabled or facilitated alleged offences.

Survivor Groups Welcome Development

Survivor organisations have described the submission of the evidence file as an important step.

Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors co-chairs Jen Mills and Lindsay Mason said the development was significant, arguing that the passage of time should not prevent accountability. They said survivors had spent decades feeling they were not believed or that Al Fayed and people around him were too powerful for meaningful action to be taken.

The group also called for the wider investigation into people who may have facilitated Al Fayed's alleged offending to continue wherever evidence leads.

Another survivor organisation, No One Above, urged the Met to establish whether it was securing financial and documentary evidence relating to how victims were allegedly recruited, moved, controlled and silenced.

Investigation Continues After Al Fayed's Death

The latest move also highlights the complicated nature of investigating allegations against a suspect who can no longer be prosecuted.

The Met has previously faced criticism over how historical complaints against Al Fayed were handled. Earlier investigations resulted in evidence being sent to the CPS in two cases, but prosecutors did not bring charges because they concluded there was not a realistic prospect of conviction. The force has since launched a much wider investigation into allegations involving Al Fayed and people who may have assisted him.

For survivors, the latest evidence file represents a possible route towards accountability even though Al Fayed himself is no longer alive. For prosecutors, however, the immediate question is narrower: whether the evidence gathered against the currently unidentified suspect is sufficient to support criminal charges.

The CPS will now assess the file before deciding what action, if any, should follow. The Met has said the investigation remains ongoing and that officers will continue pursuing available lines of inquiry.