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London’s Metropolitan Police has apologised after accidentally exposing the email addresses of people who came forward to report sexual abuse by Mohamed Al Fayed.
The force blamed “human error”, saying officers sent a monthly email update to victims in which the email addresses of 143 people were visible to other recipients instead of being hidden. A number of additional recipients also received the email.
A group representing victims described the incident as “appalling”.
In a statement, the Metropolitan police said “The issue was identified quickly and immediate action was taken,” adding that those affected had all been contacted.
The force has apologised and added that “The incident is being investigated as a matter of priority, and we are reviewing our processes to help prevent a similar breach from happening again.”
The Met police has referred itself to the UK information watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Who was Mohamed Al Fayed?
Born in Egypt, Mohamed Al Fayed was best known as the billionaire owner of the Ritz Hotel in Paris, Fulham Football Club and the famous London department store, Harrods. He was also the father of Dodi Al Fayed, who died in a 1997 car crash alongside Princess Diana.
Following his death in 2023 at age 94, hundreds of women accused Al Fayed of rape, sexual assault and trafficking. Many of the alleged crimes relate to his time as owner of Harrods.
Though some complaints were made against him before his death, he never faced any charges.
Earlier this month, at least five women who say they were victims of Al Fayed were formally recognised by the UK’s Home Office as victims of modern slavery.
The Metropolitan Police is continuing to investigate allegations against Al Fayed, as well as people who may have facilitated or enabled his offending. So far six people have been questioned, but no arrests have been made.