Woman alleges Salah Fayed trafficked and sexually assaulted her on Scottish estate

BBC One West reported that a woman known as Jill alleges she was trafficked to the Balnagown estate in the Scottish Highlands, where she was drugged, sexually assaulted and held prisoner by Salah Fayed, the brother of former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.

Jill cannot be named for legal reasons. According to the BBC report, she began working at Harrods as a young woman and was quickly selected for its executive training scheme. She was later sent to work for Salah Fayed and was at his side constantly, including on two trips to the Balnagown estate in Invergordon.

The BBC reported that she described travelling on the family's private jet into Inverness, where vehicles took her to the estate. She said the house where she stayed was isolated and that Salah Fayed forced her to take illegal substances. She alleged he locked her in a room, lied about what the drugs were and screamed at her when she refused.

She alleged that the drugs were part of his method of assaulting her and that he sexually and physically assaulted her many times. The BBC report said she described him as cruel and dangerous and said he exploited vulnerabilities she had.

Jill said she knew of other women harmed by Salah in Scotland. Police Scotland said three people had been identified in connection with offending against a number of victims at an estate owned by Al Fayed, the BBC One West report said.

The BBC report noted that allegations about Mohamed Al Fayed's sexual abuse were broadcast in a 2024 documentary, Predator at Harrods. Mohamed Al Fayed died in 2023, aged 94, having never faced charges. Salah Fayed died in 2010, also having faced no charges.

The Metropolitan Police launched Operation Corn Poppy. In a statement, the force told the BBC that 160 victims had come forward to date. Jill has contacted the Met and has legal action ongoing.

Harrods, no longer owned by the Fayed family, said it recognised the bravery of those who had come forward and supported all survivors in their pursuit of justice. It said it may continue to work closely with the Met Police on its investigation. Harrods said more than 265 survivors had engaged with its redress scheme and that 115 claims had been settled.

Jill said she tried to raise the alarm before she got away, but that it fell on deaf ears. She said she did not like the word payout and saw it as a partial refund for what she had lost. She said her life's work had been recovering from the abuse and described a bitter, decades-long struggle.

The BBC said it had contacted the Balnagown estate for comment twice and had received no reply. Jill supports calls from some, but not all, victims for a statutory public inquiry. She said she was speaking out because she worried police investigations were not looking far enough.