It feels good to change Fayedâs legacy, says survivor
A woman who says she was sexually assaulted by Mohamed Al Fayed has said she wants to âchange the legacy of a man who really was a monsterâ.
Natacha, who began working for the former Harrods owner when she was 19, described the escalating abuse she experienced from her then boss at a news conference on Friday.
Survivors âdidnât really realiseâ what was going on at the time, feeling that the assaults were part of the job, Natacha said.
âI have daughters and nieces and the thought of that happening to them at [a] tender age is just awful,â she said.
Warning: this story contains details some may find distressing.
âIt feels odd after all these years to be able to speak about it,â Natacha told the BBCâs Helena Wilkinson at the press conference, organised by a legal team representing survivors.
The case against Harrodsâ current owners, who the lawyers argue are liable for damages, was outlined at the conference.
The current owners of the department store, who did not own it at the time of the allegations, said they were appalled by the accusations.
âThe Harrods of today is a very different organisation,â the company said in a statement.
The department store has a compensation scheme for ex-employees who say they were attacked by Fayed. The company has already reached financial settlements with the majority of people who have approached them since 2023.
More have contacted Harrods since a BBC investigation heard testimony from more than 20 women who said they were sexually assaulted by the billionaire.
Natacha, who has partially waived her anonymity, told the news conference: âIt feels good to change the legacy of a man who really was a monster.â
She was âjust 19 years old: young, naĂŻve and totally innocentâ at the time she began working for Fayed in a âsupporting roleâ to his private personal assistant.
Following an interview with Fayed in his office, Natacha âgot the job straight awayâ. She said she felt she had been given the chance of a lifetime.
The former Harrods boss was âclever and highly manipulativeâ, seeking to put his victims at ease by discussing his family, Natacha said.
He often told staff to âcall me papaâ, Natacha said.
At the time, Natacha interpreted Fayedâs generosity towards her â he gave her money for new work clothes and gifts for her parents â as âa perk of working for such a powerful manâ.
âUnbeknownst to me, I had walked into a lionâs den,â she said.
Fayed targeted his âmost vulnerableâ employees, including those who needed to pay their rent, and those who didnât have parents to support them, Natacha said.
The atmosphere in the office was âvery secretiveâ, Natacha said, describing how she was âactively discouragedâ from making friends.
Fayed subjected his victims to âunnecessary and intrusiveâ sexual health examinations, Natacha said.
The tests were carried out by doctors, and while the medical exams were presented as a perk, many women did not see their own results, the BBC investigation revealed.
â[I] now believe in hindsight I was checked for my purity,â Natacha added.
Over time, âprivate meetingsâ with Fayed became increasingly threatening.
He would subject victims to a âforced kiss⊠or pulling you down on his lapâ, Natacha said, describing how the encounters left her âparalysedâ by fear.
âIt was an era when women were still the underclass in the working world,â Natacha said.
She described being âsummonedâ to Fayedâs private apartment one night on the pretext of a job review. âThe door was locked behind me,â she said.
Fayed handed Natacha a glass of champagne. Through the open door âthere were sex toys on viewâ in his bedroom, she said.
Fayed then âpushed himself onto meâ, Natacha said, describing how she managed to âkick freeâ of him and run to the door.
He threatened Natacha that if she told anyone about the attack, she would ânever work in London againâ, adding he knew where her family lived.
The assault affected Natachaâs life for âmany years to comeâ, impacting both her private and professional relationships, she told the conference.
Fayed died in August 2023. Reading his obituary triggered âhuge emotionâ for Natacha, who âcouldnât believe that this monster had gotten away with his crimesâ.
âThankfully today, this is a different story, and I am truly grateful for thatâ, she said.
If you are affected by issues of sexual assault you can contact the BBC Action Line here.