Victim describes Salah Fayed's abuse at the Balnagown estate in Scotland

Testimony about abuse in Scotland

A woman speaking under the changed name Jill for legal reasons, told BBC Scotland, that in the 1990s, while a young employee at Harrods, she was recruited into what was presented as a management training programme, and then twice flown by private jet belonging to the Fayed family to Balnagown Estate in Easter Ross in northern Scotland. According to her, there Salah Fayed — brother of former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed — forced her to take illegal substances, kept her in isolation and committed sexual abuse, controlling what she ate, wore and whom she communicated with. 'He was a very cruel man,' BBC Scotland quotes her as saying. Jill added that it took effort for her to get out, and that she knew of other women accusing Salah Fayed of abuse in Scotland, although some of them had not spoken about it publicly.

What is known about the investigations

Police Scotland said it had identified three individuals in connection with crimes against a number of victims at Balnagown and that inquiries are ongoing; earlier, in July, the force said it was carrying out additional checks on allegations connected with the estate. In parallel, the Metropolitan Police is investigating allegations related to Mohamed Al Fayed himself and alleged facilitators: according to the force, seven suspects have been interviewed under caution on suspicion of assisting rape and sexual offences, facilitating sexual crimes and human trafficking for sexual exploitation; 168 complainants have joined the case, and around 70 people have been referred to the Home Office as potential victims of human trafficking. Salah Fayed died of pancreatic cancer in 2010, and Mohamed Al Fayed died in 2023; after the release of the BBC documentary 'The Predator at Harrods' in 2024, more than 400 alleged victims or witnesses contacted the lawyers.

Context and reaction

Jill said she had contacted the Metropolitan Police and is seeking compensation through the courts; she supported calls from some victims for a statutory public inquiry and, according to her, is speaking publicly out of concern that police checks do not cover everything. Harrods, no longer owned by the Fayed family, said it recognises the 'exceptional bravery' of the survivors and supports them in their pursuit of justice; earlier the company set up a compensation scheme for victims of abuse connected with Mohamed Al Fayed. Jill herself called any possible compensation only partial redress: 'The girl I was when I was sent to that man disappeared,' BBC Scotland quotes her as saying. The BBC contacted Balnagown Estate twice for comment but received no response.

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