Ex-Harrods boss says he witnessed ‘abhorrent’ behaviour by Al Fayed

McArthur was chief executive at Harrods for 10 months in 2008, during which time the Metropolitan Police investigated an alleged assault on a 15-year-old girl in a Harrods boardroom. 

In a written statement to the BBC, McArthur said, “I was indeed CEO of Harrods for a short, and most unpleasant, 10 months during 2008 under Fayed.

“While Fayed’s behaviour was often abhorrent in many ways, and professional relationships with him were largely dysfunctional, I was not aware of any sexual abuse by him – if I had been, I would have taken action,” he said.

The “abhorrent” behaviour included Al Fayed’s inappropriate sense of humour and lack of professional conduct, he said.

The report states that McArthur says he was unaware of the Metropolitan Police’s investigation concerning the 15-year-old, even though it was covered in the media at the time, which he says he does not recall.

McArthur added: “I was also not aware of a Met Police investigation into Fayed’s conduct during 2008. Fayed would, I imagine, have tried to keep anything like that closely under his control within the secure precinct of the chairman’s office.”

The initial accusation in 2008 and the subsequent investigation were covered in a number of newspaper articles. When questioned about this, McArthur said: “I do not recall that at all.”

Al Fayed has been accused of sexual assault and rape by more than 20 women who spoke to the BBC for a documentary that was broadcast last week.