Former Harrods employee accuses Mohamed al Fayed and his brother Salah of assaulting her in 1990s

A former Harrods employee has claimed Mohamed al Fayed and his brother, Salah, both assaulted her while she worked for the department store in the 1990s.

Speaking on camera about her story for the first time, Rachael Louw told Sky News she was subjected to invasive sexual health tests, surveillance and inappropriate touching while working for the al Fayeds.

During her three years at Harrods Rachael was propositioned by Salah al Fayed, who one night climbed into bed with her while she was working as his personal assistant on his yacht in Monaco. Upon her return to the Harrods store in London, the chairman, Mohamed, also preyed on her.

"There were things that happened there that I didn't realise were a part of trafficking: Isolation, phone bugging, no time on your own, exposure to these sexually charged situations - almost like to acclimatise you, to groom you into thinking that this is normal," she said.

Ms Louw was in her early 20s when she moved from university to London in 1993 to work on the shop floor at Harrods. In what has now become a familiar tale among victims who have come forward, she was spotted by the chairman and soon promoted to be his brother's personal assistant.

At the time, she was excited. "You're entering this whole new lifestyle that is shiny and new and exciting, and I was like, okay, I'm ready for this. This is the next stage for me," she said.

However, there were early signs that something was not right.

Before taking the job Rachael was subjected to a compulsory sexual health check, conducted by Dr Ann Coxon on Harley Street. In a letter to the chairman's office, the doctor went into detail about Rachael's sexual history, her use of contraception, and her body shape, as well as her levels of personal hygiene.

Rachael had no idea her results had been sent to her employer, Mohamed al Fayed. She believes she was trafficked to Monaco for sexual exploitation, and this was the first stage of the process.

She was not alone. Over the past four months, hundreds of women have come forward to detail their experiences of sexual assault and rape at the hands of Mohamed al Fayed.

More recently it has come to light that his brother, Salah, may have also been an abuser.

Lawyers representing the victims have described the abuse, which took place in the 1990s and 2000s, as a gross example of corporate sexual exploitation.

A police investigation is also under way. The Metropolitan Police, which is being investigated by the police watchdog over its handling of past allegations, is now investigating associates of al Fayed who may have facilitated or assisted the abuse.

Both Salah and Mohamed have died, so cannot be held to account in the criminal courts.

'I was disgusted and didn't want to be there'

After the results of her health check were sent through, Rachael was asked to accompany Salah al Fayed on his yacht in Monaco. During that time, her employer became more and more suggestive.

One night, he invited her to another boat where they dined with an older man and two young women.

"He said: did I notice how friendly the girls had been with me? And I said: 'Yeah, they were really nice’. He said: 'Well, did you realise they wanted to sleep with you?'"

Rachael added: "Salah said there was an expectation that this evening would become something that involved all of us," and that "the idea had been to have group sex".

"I was shocked and disgusted and didn't want to be there."

It didn't end there. One night she was invited to sleep in one of the more comfortable cabins on the boat, which had double beds.

"I had been asleep for a few hours and I felt a movement on the bed… I woke up with a panic of, first, where was I? And then who was this? And I remember saying something like, 'What are you doing?' And Salah said, 'I'm lonely'… I just went ramrod still and he just carried on sleeping there.

"He went to sleep and I lay there the whole night and I didn't sleep, thinking if I moved, if I turned over, if I did any body movement whatsoever, he would misinterpret that as me giving him an indication that it was okay to touch me."

"It was probably one of the longest nights of my life," she added. "And I remember in the morning, aching because I'd been so tense the whole night."

'The more I resisted, the more upset he became'

Rachael said she eventually left Monaco after a month of repeated sexual advances. She booked a ticket to London and went back to the shop floor at Harrods. She thought she was safer away from Salah al Fayed but it was during this time that Mohamed assaulted her.

Rachael was asked to visit the chairman at his flat in Park Lane to secure some paperwork she needed to take a sabbatical to Australia.

"I went after my shift. We had dinner. I was not expecting there to be dinner. We had a drink.

"Then Mohamed was showing me around his apartment… then we get to his bedroom. And he's motioning to the view and I've got my back turned to him and he said to me: 'Let's talk about your future'.

"I was half expecting him to pull out this paperwork. I turned around and he said: 'Come sit next to me. Let's discuss your future'."

Rachael said Mohamed al Fayed tried to persuade her to stay that day, and not go to Australia. "I will look after you. I will get you an apartment in London. It's very expensive. I understand these things. If you treat me right, if you're nice to me, I can make things happen for you'."

She added: "I was sitting down next to him, and he put his arm around me and his hand started going further up my skirt, higher and higher. And all I could think was that I somehow have to extricate myself from this situation because I needed my paperwork.

"My tickets were booked. It was really expensive… and how do I get out of this situation without offending him?

"All I can remember saying is: 'My mum didn't teach me to mix business with pleasure. This isn't right'."

“He kept with the verbal coercion, over and over and over, and his arms [were] still around me. This must have gone on for at least 20 minutes.

"The more I resisted, the more upset he became. I ended up pulling away from him. I have no memory of leaving his apartment."

After the encounter, Rachael left to take her sabbatical in Australia. When she returned, she quit her role at Harrods.

Still a chance of criminal charges

Victim-survivors like Rachael are asking why serious action wasn't taken by the police to arrest Mohamed, Salah and their alleged enablers over the decades as complaints were made.

The Met has now widened its investigation to look at associates who may have assisted and facilitated the abuse - meaning criminal charges could still be on the cards even though the direct perpetrators have died.

Harrods, which is now owned by the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, has established an internal review and set up a compensation fund, which it says is in the process of settling with around 250 women.

In a statement to Sky News, the company said: "Harrods supports the bravery of all women in coming forward. Their claims point to the breadth of abuse by Mohamed Fayed and again raise serious allegations against his brother, Salah Fayed. The picture that has emerged suggests that this pattern of abusive behaviour took place wherever they operated.

"We continue to encourage all survivors to make their claims to the Harrods scheme, where they can apply for compensation… We also hope that they are looking at every avenue open to them in their pursuit of justice, whether that be the police or the Fayed family and estate."

The company added: "Any claims in relation to the behaviour of current staff involved in any of the allegations either directly or indirectly during the time of Fayed's ownership, will be investigated."

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