The police watchdog will review how Metropolitan Police officers handled allegations of sexual misconduct against former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will review two cases the Met Police investigated in 2008 and 2013 after the force itself referred.
Hundreds of people have contacted the BBC about Harrods and the billionaire since the documentary Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods aired.
More than 70 of them were from women who sent the BBC their accounts of abuse by Al Fayed, including sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape.
Police are investigating some allegations of abuse and Harrods is also resolving hundreds of claims.
There are allegations that abuse also occurred at Fulham FC and the Ritz Hotel in Paris, as well as other venues owned by Al Fayed.
In September, the BBC documentary heard testimony from former Harrods employees who said the billionaire sexually assaulted or raped them.
Since that film aired, the Met has said it found reports of 21 women accusing Al Fayed between 2005 and his death in 2023. He was never charged.
Last month, the BBC revealed that, during Al Fayed’s lifetime, the Met sent complete files of evidence relating to just two of the 21 women to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Following that story, the Met issued a statement giving the impression that it had received early investigative advice from the CPS in relation to 10 of the women. This advice is a formal matter where the CPS gives an insight into the merits of the case, after the police provide them with evidence.
However, the CPS later confirmed to the BBC that it only gave that advice in four cases, and the Met told the BBC it accepts it.
Since September this year, 60 more women have come forward to the Met and at least 70 have contacted the BBC itself.
Last week, the BBC revealed that the Met had received an allegation of sexual assault against Al Fayed by a teenage girl in 1995, meaning the Met had been told about Al Fayed a decade earlier than acknowledged in previous statements. , which gave 2005 as the earliest date. received an accusation against him.
An IOPC spokesperson said it had contacted the Met in September to ask if the force had “identified any behavioral issues that required a referral”.
In a statement issued on Friday, the IOPC confirmed it had received two complaints referred by the Met and would “assess the information provided before deciding what further action may be necessary”.
Fulham FC told the BBC: “We unequivocally condemn all forms of abuse. We remain in the process of establishing whether anyone at the club is or would have been affected by Mohamed Al Fayed in any way as outlined in recent reports.”
Al Fayed owned Harrods between 1985 and 2010. The store’s new owners have previously said they are “horrified” by the sexual abuse allegations and have been investigating since 2023 whether any current members of staff were involved.
Harrods told the BBC it was in the process of resolving more than 250 compensation claims presented by victims of Al Fayed. Since then, that number has increased to more than 290.
The Harrods boss apologized personally after being contacted by the BBC.
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