Questions for Met after only two criminal cases were sought against Al Fayed

The Metropolitan Police have only asked prosecutors to decide whether to charge Mohamed Al Fayed in connection with two of 21 women who accused him of sexual offenses during his lifetime, the BBC has found.

It raises serious questions about the Met's response to women who said they were abused by the former Harrods owner, who died last year aged 94.

Scotland Yard refused to answer the BBC's questions about the number of women facing charges, but the Crown Prosecution Service has now provided the information.

The BBC also discovered that a woman was being investigated for aiding and abetting Al Fayed's rape.

Last month, a BBC documentary and podcast heard testimony from former Harrods employees who said the billionaire sexually assaulted or raped them. Al Fayed was never charged during his lifetime.

At least since the documentary aired 65 women contacted the BBC They said they were mistreated by Al Fayed. The allegations extended beyond Harrods and dated back to 1977.

Last week the Met revealed that 40 women approached the force Since the film, Al Fayed has been accused of sexual crimes. The allegations relate to a period between 1979 and 2013.

The Met has also admitted that 21 women contacted the police ahead of the BBC film.

Police are conducting an internal review of these previous complaints and the police watchdog has asked whether anything needs to be referred to them for investigation.

The CPS has now told the BBC that it made a charging decision on two allegations of sexual assault against a complainant in 2009.

Then, in 2015, it issued a charging decision on an allegation of rape and an allegation of aiding and abetting rape by a female suspect. These allegations concerned another complainant.

This means the Met has not given prosecutors full evidence files on 19 of the women who contacted them. The two files he submitted also did not contain any complaints from other women whose statements could possibly have provided confirmation.

Many people will be surprised that one man out of 21 women can be accused of sexual offenses and not be prosecuted. Given that 40 more women have contacted the Met since the BBC film, questions are now mounting about the quality of the Met's previous inquiries.

This includes why the Met did not link the different cases together or launch a larger investigation that might have found other women who have now come forward.

The Met had previously said it had also contacted the CPS on three other occasions to seek “early investigative advice” in relation to Al Fayed. In these three cases the CPS was not asked to make charging decisions based on a full evidence file.

Zoe Billingham, who was Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary between 2009 and 2021, said the revelations about police actions were “shocking”.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said: 'It is hard to believe that 21 women have come forward to the Met with what are believed to be very similar allegations about a wealthy man in a position of extreme power and authority and yet nothing has happened .

“There should have been a full investigation. And that raises questions… Did the police even prepare a proper file for the prosecution?”

She added: “There is a broader question here – that is the question of culture. “At that time, and perhaps even today, women who made such allegations were taken seriously, listened to or fobbed off.”

In response to the BBC, a Scotland Yard spokesman said: “We are carrying out a full review of all existing allegations reported to us about Al Fayed to ensure there are no new lines of inquiry based on new information that has emerged. “

“This includes contacting the Directorate of Professional Standards where appropriate.”