A woman has come forward with allegations that Salah Fayed, the late brother of former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed, drugged and sexually abused her at the family’s estate in the Scottish Highlands during the 1990s.
The woman, identified as Jill to protect her identity, told BBC Scotland that she was a young employee at Harrods when she was offered what she believed was an executive training opportunity.
Instead, she alleges, she was taken to Balnagown Estate in Easter Ross, where she experienced repeated abuse.
Jill said she travelled to Scotland twice on the Fayed family’s private aircraft. After landing at Inverness Airport, she was driven to the estate, where the brothers had separate residences.
She described Salah’s property as isolated, making it difficult for her to seek help or leave.
Allegations of drugging and confinement
Jill alleges that Salah Fayed forced her to take drugs, sometimes disguising what the substances were. On one occasion, she said, he locked her in a room and pressured her to take something after falsely describing it as beneficial.
She told the BBC that the drugs were used as part of the alleged sexual abuse.
The woman also described being isolated and having little control over her daily life, including what she ate, what she wore and whom she could contact.
She said escaping the situation required considerable effort. In retrospect, she became concerned that other women might have experienced similar treatment and said she had attempted to warn people.
Salah Fayed died of pancreatic cancer in 2010. He is therefore not alive to respond to the latest allegations.
Police investigate claims linked to the estate
Police Scotland confirmed that investigations into alleged offences connected to Balnagown Estate are continuing.
A police spokesperson said three people had been identified in connection with alleged offending against a number of victims. The force declined to provide further details while inquiries remain active.
The latest account adds to previous allegations against members of the Fayed family. Mohamed Al Fayed, who died in 2023, was accused by hundreds of women of sexual misconduct, including rape and sexual assault.
The Metropolitan Police is conducting a separate investigation into allegations involving Mohamed Al Fayed and people suspected of helping facilitate sexual offences.
The force has said 168 victims have so far come forward directly to police. It has also confirmed that seven suspects have been interviewed under caution over suspected offences including aiding and abetting rape and sexual assault, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation.
These investigations are ongoing, and the allegations against individuals must be distinguished from findings established in court.
Calls for wider accountability
Jill has said she wants those responsible to be held accountable and believes survivors should receive compensation for the lasting effects of the alleged abuse.
Her account has also renewed calls for investigators to examine the wider network of people who may have enabled or facilitated abuse at properties associated with the Fayed family.
Wendy Chamberlain, an MP who co-chairs a parliamentary group representing survivors of abuse linked to the Fayed family, described Jill’s testimony as powerful. She said the latest revelations raised concerns that more survivors might not yet have come forward.
Chamberlain has called for further scrutiny of how women were allegedly brought into situations where they could be abused and whether others helped those involved.
Harrods, which is no longer owned by the Fayed family, has expressed support for survivors who have come forward. The retailer previously established a redress scheme for people who experienced abuse linked to Mohamed Al Fayed.
Jill said the consequences of what she describes as years of abuse have affected her career, family life and wellbeing.
Her decision to speak publicly, she said, is partly driven by concern that the full extent of the alleged abuse and the people who may have enabled it have not yet been exposed.
The investigations in Scotland and London remain ongoing.
