Harrods recruit says she was trafficked to Highlands and abused by Salah Fayed

A woman has told BBC Scotland that she was trafficked to the Scottish Highlands, drugged and repeatedly assaulted by Salah Fayed, the late brother of former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed. Using the name Jill to protect her legal position, she described being flown on the family's private jet to Balnagown, their Easter Ross estate, while she was a young Harrods employee in the 1990s. It is the first time she has spoken publicly about what she says happened to her in Scotland.

According to her account, Jill believed she had been recruited into an executive training scheme. She said she first worked for Mohamed Al Fayed in a tightly monitored Harrods office before being reassigned to Salah, whom she called a very cruel man. On the estate, she alleged, he locked her in a room and forced her to take drugs he lied about, controlled what she ate, wore and who she spoke to, and isolated her. She said getting out took effort, and that by then she knew she could not have been the only one.

Salah Fayed, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2010, was one of three brothers who bought Harrods in 1985. He has been accused of abuse by numerous women. The Fayed scandal has widened enormously since Mohamed Al Fayed's death in 2023: more than 400 alleged victims or witnesses have now come forward to lawyers, and some of the women are pushing for a statutory public inquiry.

Two police forces are digging into the case. Police Scotland said three people have been identified in connection with offending against a number of victims at Balnagown, and that inquiries are ongoing. The Metropolitan Police called its own investigation one of the largest and most complex it is running, saying seven suspects have been interviewed under caution over suspected offences including aiding and abetting rape and sexual assault, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation. The Met said 168 victims have come forward so far, and a confidential note shared with survivors put the number referred to the Home Office as potential trafficking victims at around 70.

Jill said she has contacted the Met and is pursuing legal action, and that she decided to speak out because she fears the investigations are not reaching far enough. She said she knows of other women who allege Salah Fayed abused them in Scotland, some of whom have never reported it. She also backed calls from victims for a statutory public inquiry.

Harrods, no longer owned by the Fayed family, said it recognised the remarkable bravery of survivors and supports them in their pursuit of justice; it has already set up a redress scheme for survivors of abuse linked to Mohamed Al Fayed. Jill said any compensation would only be a partial refund for the damage done. The BBC said it contacted the Balnagown Estate twice and has not received a reply.