Mohamed Al-Fayed cops blasted for 'failing in their legal duty to refer trafficking victims'

Mohamed Al-Fayed cops blasted for 'failing in their legal duty to refer trafficking victims' Four women who made allegations about Harrods billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed blasted officers for "failing in their legal duty" to identify them as victims of modern slavery and refer them to a national scheme for protection Four women allegedly trafficked by billionaire Harrods predator Mohamed Al-Fayed today said they were let down by cops. The survivors blasted officers for "failing in their legal duty" to identify them as victims of modern slavery and refer them to a national scheme for protection. Instead, they made self-initiated referrals through an anti-slavery charity called NGO Unseen. The women - all confirmed as victims after a Home Office review - believe the Met did not offer referrals to anyone who came forward about Al-Fayed until April 2026. It comes as the force continues to face intense scrutiny for the way it handled allegations made to them about Al-Fayed's abuse. Dozens of women came forward with allegations of sexual abuse and rape in the wake of a BBC documentary in 2024. Female Harrods employees made sex allegations to the police in 2008, 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2023, but he was never arrested. In June this year the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed three victims had filed complaints about the Met's handling of allegations between 2018 and 2024. Now they are facing further questions over an alleged failure to refer victims to a scheme which supports victims of human trafficking and forced labour. One survivor, using the pseudonym Isabella, worked in the chairman's office at Harrods in 2001, where she was trafficked. She reported her experience to police in 2024 - but was never referred to the scheme known as the National Referral Mechanism. She said: "Survivors had to force the state to recognise trafficking in a case the Met now says had trafficking always at its heart. Referring suspected victims to the NRM is a statutory duty, it's not optional. "That duty is triggered the moment that trafficking is suspected, not when it's proved... The legal duty is that it should be made promptly, and the threshold is low: reasonable grounds to suspect, no definitive proof needed." Al-Fayed died in 2023 aged 94 and was exposed as a serial sexual predator the following year. More than 400 allegations of sexual misconduct have been made against the former Fulham FC owner, dating between 1977 and 2014, including sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The Met is investigating at least 156 victims who contacted them directly, including 21 who came forward before Al-Fayed's death in 2023 at the age of 94. The investigation, known as Operation Cornpoppy, was launched in November 2024 and is looking at people who may have facilitated or enabled Al-Fayed's crimes. Seven people have been questioned under caution. This includes four women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 80s, and three men, one in his 60s, one in his 80s, and one of unknown age. It it understood the Met believes there is no automatic requirement for them to submit a referral for offences that occurred prior to the implementation of the NRM in April 2009 and the Modern Slavery Act 2015, but that referrals can be submitted. However, the Home Office views the historical nature of the alleged exploitation as irrelevant for notification and referral purposes. It is only if these offences were reported to the police prior to the aforementioned dates of 2009 and 2015 that there is no legal duty to refer. Another victim, Margo, was a domestic worker for the Al-Fayed family after the 2010 sale of Harrods. She reported her experience to the police in 2024 and the Met did not offer her a referral to the NRM. She said the Met have been "reactive as opposed to proactive" throughout the whole investigation. Elizabeth, also a pseudonym, was a Harrods employee who was selected for abuse off the shop floor. She said there is a "very good reason" the police are required by law to identify victims of human trafficking. She said: "It's how we recognise the prevalence of this very, very serious crime in the UK. To not comply with that duty is a very serious issue." She said there has been "some miscommunication" from the Met that their duty to offer a referral does not apply if it is a historical case, adding: "That's not true - it's very clear in the law." Elizabeth said: "It's a very simple, but very important thing that the police are supposed to do, they're supposed to identify victims of trafficking, and they're not doing it." Justine, also a pseudonym, worked at Harrods for more than three years in the 90s, and was trafficked during this time. She said the Met Police did not offer her referral to the NRM when she reported her experience in 2018. After self-referring via Unseen, she received a positive conclusive grounds decision in June. Justine said: "The Met had a duty to refer all of us that have been reporting to them about this." The former head of the Met's own anti-trafficking unit, Phil Brewer, said he had never seen any guidance or policy that backs up the Met's position. He said that regardless of whether it was a legal obligation, the Met should have been referring these victims to the NRM anyway. "For me, it just seems such a simple thing to do that would give the survivors reassurance that they're being listened to and believed," he said. Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Eleanor Lyons said: "Victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking have endured horrific exploitation at the hands of their abusers. The impact can be profound and long lasting, affecting every aspect of a person's life for years to come. These victims should be offered support at any stage in their recovery journey. "Statutory first responder organisations should refer these victims to the Government's National Referral Mechanism, which is designed to provide care and identify them as victims of modern slavery and trafficking. We must do everything in our power to provide protections for victims of exploitation and hold the perpetrators of this crime to account." A spokesman for the Met Police said: “The investigation into those who may have facilitated Mohamed Al Fayed’s offending is one of the largest and most complex the Met is currently undertaking. “Seven suspects have so far been interviewed under caution on suspicion of offences including aiding and abetting rape and sexual assault, assisting the commission of sexual offences, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation. “To date, 157 victims have now come forward. Where there are indications of human trafficking, and where the victim consents to us doing so, we will refer cases to the Home Office via the National Referral Mechanism.” Andy Day, the gold commander of Operation Cornpoppy, said in a letter to survivors on August 11: "Work continues in relation to potential National Referral Mechanism referrals. The investigation team is progressing this work and will continue to make contact where appropriate. If you believe this may apply to you and you have not yet heard from the team, please get in touch." At least five survivors have received positive conclusive grounds decisions from the NRM, the UK's official framework for identifying victims of modern slavery, including human trafficking, forced labour and servitude. The reporting framework allows victims to receive the right support and provides the Government with vital data about modern slavery in the UK. Statutory first responders, including the police, Border Force, the National Crime Agency and local authorities, must refer to the NRM all children and consenting adults they have reasonable grounds to believe may be a victim of modern slavery. They also have a duty to notify the Home Office of these cases anonymously where an adult does not consent to being referred. Certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like the Salvation Army, Barnardo's, the Refugee Council and the anti-slavery charity Unseen are also able to make referrals as non-statutory first responders, but are not under the same legal duties.